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Articles 1321 - 1350 of 1943

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Removal Of Phosphorus/Selenium From Aqueous Solutions By Adsorption Processes, Shilpa Bhojappa Jan 2009

Removal Of Phosphorus/Selenium From Aqueous Solutions By Adsorption Processes, Shilpa Bhojappa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study includes two parts: (1) Acid mine drainage (AMD) sludge, a waste product from coal mine water treatment, was used as an adsorbent to develop a cost-effective treatment approach to phosphorus removal from municipal secondary effluents. (2) Synthesized nano-magnetite was used as an adsorbent to develop an innovative technology for selenium removal from aqueous solutions. Each case involved a series of batch adsorption experiments conducted to evaluate adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and adsorptive thermodynamics. The effects of pH, temperature, concentration, contact time, and competing anions on the concerned pollutant removal were examined as well.;Adsorption of phosphorus onto AMD sludge …

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Applications Of Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (Uplc) And Tandem Mass Spectrometry For The Detection And Quantification Of Cocaine, Amphetamine, And Opiate Derivatives In Human Meconium, Joshua Adam Gunn Jan 2009

Applications Of Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (Uplc) And Tandem Mass Spectrometry For The Detection And Quantification Of Cocaine, Amphetamine, And Opiate Derivatives In Human Meconium, Joshua Adam Gunn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Development and validation of ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) methodologies for the purpose of detecting and quantifying common drugs of abuse in human meconium specimens is described. Meconium is the first stool passed by a newborn infant. Meconium formation occurs over several months of gestation and subsequent toxicological analysis of the specimens can be useful for identifying drugs and other xenobiotics indicative of prenatal drug exposure.;Ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) is an emerging analytical technique which draws upon the principles of chromatography to run separations at higher flow rates for increased speed, while simultaneously achieving superior resolution …

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Acidic Deposition Effects On Above- And Belowground Wood Biomass And Nutrient Status In A Young Hardwood Forest, Brittany Anne Johnson Jan 2009

Acidic Deposition Effects On Above- And Belowground Wood Biomass And Nutrient Status In A Young Hardwood Forest, Brittany Anne Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The impact of acid deposition on forest productivity has been studied extensively during the past 30 years. Mixed results abound due to variations in forest age, species composition, land use history, climate, and different experimental procedures. However, most results suggest alterations in productivity and nutrient status as a result of elevated acid deposition. The Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) site in the Fernow Experimental Forest served as the study site; it was initiated with the purpose of observing the impact of forest management and air quality on biomass production and nutrient cycling (Adams et al. 2004). In its entirety, this experiment …

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Lifestyle Behaviors And Illness Related Factors As Predictors Of Recurrent Headache In Us Adolescents, Suzy Mascaro Walter Jan 2009

Lifestyle Behaviors And Illness Related Factors As Predictors Of Recurrent Headache In Us Adolescents, Suzy Mascaro Walter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Purpose. Successful management of recurrent headache among adolescents requires an understanding of the lifestyle behaviors (skipping meals, water intake, tobacco use, alcohol use, and physical activity) and illness related factors (depression, somatic complaints, insomnia and obesity) reported to be associated with this headache type. This study describes a multivariate model demonstrating how lifestyle behaviors and illness related factors work together to predict recurrent headache in an adolescent population.;Method. A descriptive, cross-sectional, secondary analysis using survey data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) (1996) will be reported. Add Health is a large database providing a nationally representative …

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State-Wide Fish Tissue Contaminants Survey And Effects Of Feeding Type, Season And Gender On Fish Tissue Contamination Levels, Kenneth L. Stewart Jan 2009

State-Wide Fish Tissue Contaminants Survey And Effects Of Feeding Type, Season And Gender On Fish Tissue Contamination Levels, Kenneth L. Stewart

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fish tissue fillets from benthic, predator, and mixed diet species were collected from 24 different watersheds in West Virginia. Composite samples were prepared from three to six fish fillets collected at each site, and concentrations of the chemical contaminants polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury were determined for each composite sample. Differences in contaminant concentrations among three major categories of feeding type (predator, benthic, and mixed diet) were examined. Differences due to species of fish and among watersheds were also examined. Predators had significantly higher mercury concentrations than benthic or mixed diet feeders and benthic feeding fish had significantly higher PCB …

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The Influence Of Socioeconomic And Environmental Determinants On Health And Obesity: A West Virginia Case Study, Anura Amarasinghe, Gerard D'Souza, Cheryl Brown, Hyungna Oh, Tatiana Borisova Jan 2009

The Influence Of Socioeconomic And Environmental Determinants On Health And Obesity: A West Virginia Case Study, Anura Amarasinghe, Gerard D'Souza, Cheryl Brown, Hyungna Oh, Tatiana Borisova

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

A recursive system of ordered self assessed health together with BRFSS data were used to investigate health and obesity in the Appalachian state of West Virginia. Implications of unobserved heterogeneity and endogeneity of lifestyle outcomes on health were investigated. Obesity was found to be an endogenous lifestyle outcome associated with impaired health status. Risk of obesity is found to increase at a decreasing rate with per capita income and age. Intervention measures which stimulate human capital development, diet-disease knowledge and careful land use planning may improve health and obesity outcomes in Appalachia in particular and rural America in general.

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Assessment Of The System Of Professional Development For West Virginia Pre-K Teachers, Sally Byard Jan 2009

Assessment Of The System Of Professional Development For West Virginia Pre-K Teachers, Sally Byard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the system for professional development that exists in West Virginia for education staff who teach in the West Virginia Pre-K program. This information should be used to increase the understanding of policy makers and early childhood system planners within a framework of policy areas as described by the National Association for the Education of Young Children in Workforce Designs: A Policy Blueprint for State Early Childhood Professional Development Systems to support quality improvement. While several components of a comprehensive professional development system are present, further coordination and alignment is necessary to meet the diverse needs of individual …

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The Politics Of Disaster Relief Policy (1947--2005), Viviane E. Foyou Jan 2009

The Politics Of Disaster Relief Policy (1947--2005), Viviane E. Foyou

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Like other studies of agenda setting, this research builds on the work of Baumgartner and Jones (1993), King (1997), Worsham (1997) and Tzoumis (2001), and most recently, Wilkerson, Feeley, Schiereck, and Sue (1999). Specifically, the focus of this study is on disaster relief policy. Two basic objectives guide the study. The first is to examine the origins and evolution of disaster relief policy in order to understand its shifting image. The second is to understand how Congress governs the agenda of disaster relief policy in the post-war period.;The analysis in this dissertation is derived from data collected on disaster relief-related …

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The Fate Of Salmonella Tennessee And Salmonella Typhimurium In Peanut Butter Subjected To Electron Beam Irradiation, Andrea Lynn Hvizdzak Jan 2009

The Fate Of Salmonella Tennessee And Salmonella Typhimurium In Peanut Butter Subjected To Electron Beam Irradiation, Andrea Lynn Hvizdzak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Peanut butter and peanut paste products were implicated as the vehicle of contamination in an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium that began in September 2008 and in the November 2006 outbreak of Salmonella Tennessee; therefore based on the apparent need for intervention measure, the purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of non-thermal electron beam irradiation for reduction of Salmonella serovars Tennessee (ATCC 10722) and Typhimurium (ATCC 14028) in creamy peanut butter. Each strain was studied independently. Peanut butter samples were inoculated with approximately 7.0 log CFU/g of Salmonella and exposed to e-beam doses ranging from 0--3.1 kGy. Doses …

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Everybody Playing Together: West Virginia Educators' Perspective On The Implementation Of The Universal Preschool Policy, Ashley Atkins Martucci Jan 2009

Everybody Playing Together: West Virginia Educators' Perspective On The Implementation Of The Universal Preschool Policy, Ashley Atkins Martucci

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines West Virginia's Universal Access to a Quality Early Education System (Policy 2525) mandate for mandatory universal preschool through a study of the roles of stakeholders in the implementation, understanding, and perspectives about the issues. Thirteen interviews were conducted to gain multiple perspectives of West Virginia educators'. The interviewees included: a state government representative, three early childhood state administrators, three early childhood county administrators, three early childhood local administrators, and three early childhood teachers. The policy provides a framework for the interviews conducted and the language utilized by the interviewees. This discourse and discrepancy analysis unveiled complex perspectives …

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Investigating Distribution And Treatments For Effective Mechanical And Herbicide Application For Controlling Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus Orbiculatus Thunb.) Vines In An Appalachian Hardwood Forest, Amanda L. Lynch Jan 2009

Investigating Distribution And Treatments For Effective Mechanical And Herbicide Application For Controlling Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus Orbiculatus Thunb.) Vines In An Appalachian Hardwood Forest, Amanda L. Lynch

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This document discusses two exotic-invasive plant species related research studies that were conducted in an Appalachian hardwood forest in north central West Virginia. The first study characterizes the distribution of oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb.) in a timber harvested area in north central West Virginia. Canopy profiles were used to create a visual picture of distribution of C. orbiculatus vines from the forest edge transition to the interior of the forest. In the second study, the efficacy of herbicides triclopyr and glyphosate were tested using basal bark, cut-stump, mechanical cut, and deer fencing to control C. orbiculatus.

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The Effect Of A Flaxseed-Oil Enhanced Diet On The Shelf Life And Sensory Characteristics Of Farmed Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis), Courtney Anne Simmons Jan 2009

The Effect Of A Flaxseed-Oil Enhanced Diet On The Shelf Life And Sensory Characteristics Of Farmed Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis), Courtney Anne Simmons

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The effect of dietary modification with flaxseed-oil (Flax) enhanced feed on the sensory characteristics and shelf life of brook trout fillets was examined. The diets were composed of a commercial feed supplemented with either fish oil (control diet, CD) or Flax (treatment diet).

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Synovium-Derived Stem Cell-Based Meniscal Reconstruction On Small Intestinal Submucosa, Yunbing Tan Jan 2009

Synovium-Derived Stem Cell-Based Meniscal Reconstruction On Small Intestinal Submucosa, Yunbing Tan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was aimed at investigating the feasibility of co-culturing meniscus cells and synovium-derived stem cells on small intestinal submucosa (SIS) in order to establish an innovative method and further to optimize the culture conditions for engineering in vitro meniscus constructs. First, two groups of individual cells and a co-culture group were mixed with fibrin gel and seeded onto SIS discs, then incubated in a serum-free defined medium for one month. Electron and fluorescent microscopy were utilized to evaluate cell attachment and migration. Through histology, biochemical quantification, real time PCR, and compressive modulus, the co-culture group showed greater cell viability …

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The Effect Of Nutrients Upon The Activity Of Sr Proteins, Callee Mcconnell Walsh Jan 2009

The Effect Of Nutrients Upon The Activity Of Sr Proteins, Callee Mcconnell Walsh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

RNA splicing is an important component of gene expression that contributes immensely to the biological complexity of higher eukaryotes. The regulation of splicing by external stimuli, such as nutrients, is poorly understood, however. The experiments contained herein sought to understand how the activity of splicing factors called SR proteins is regulated by insulin and polyunsaturated fatty acids in the liver using the model mRNA glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). RNA affinity and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that refeeding of rodents stimulates the binding of SR proteins to the splicing regulatory element of G6PD; and this was especially relevant for SRp20. In vitro …

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Functional Analysis Of Arabidopsis Cold Shock Domain Proteins, Yongil Yang Jan 2009

Functional Analysis Of Arabidopsis Cold Shock Domain Proteins, Yongil Yang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

To understand the function of cold shock domain proteins in planta, I analyzed AtCSP3 (At2g17870), which is one of four A&barbelow;rabidopsis t&barbelow;haliana c&barbelow;old s&barbelow;hock domain p&barbelow;roteins (AtCSPs). Taq-Man probe quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis confirmed that AtCSP3 transcripts were expressed dominantly in reproductive and meristematic tissues. The homozygous loss of function mutant atcsp3 displays a distinct phenotype with an overall reduced sized of seedlings, small sized orbicular rosette leaves, and curled leaf blades. Microscopic visualization of cleared leaves revealed a reduction in size and increased circular shape of palisade mesophyll cells in atcsp3 leaves. Image analysis of palisade cell layers indicated …

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Characterization Of Cold Shock Domain Proteins And Sumoylation System From Oryza Sativa, Vijaya Vardhana Reddy Chaikam Jan 2009

Characterization Of Cold Shock Domain Proteins And Sumoylation System From Oryza Sativa, Vijaya Vardhana Reddy Chaikam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the first part of this study, two novel c&barbelow;old s&barbelow;hock domain p&barbelow;roteins from rice (OsCSP) were cloned and subsequently characterized their roles during stress conditions and development. OsCSP1 and OsCSP2 ( Oryza sativa CSD protein) encode putative proteins consisting of an N-terminal CSD and glycine-rich regions that are interspersed by 4 and 2 CX2CX4HX4C (CCHC) retroviral-like zinc fingers, respectively. Using an in vitro DNA binding assay, I demonstrate that OsCSPs exhibit conserved ssDNA binding activity. In vivo functional complementation in a cold-sensitive bacterial strain, that lacks four cold inducible cold shock domain proteins revealed that OsCSPs function as RNA …

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Microbial Survival After Isoelectric Solubilization And Precipitation Of Fish Protein, Lancya Lansdowne Jan 2009

Microbial Survival After Isoelectric Solubilization And Precipitation Of Fish Protein, Lancya Lansdowne

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Protein wasted by the disposal of fish processing byproducts may be recovered using isoelectric solubilization and precipitation. The protein is dissolved by extreme pH shifts and recovered via precipitation and centrifugation. Microbial safety throughout this process had not yet been evaluated; therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if Listeria innocua and Escherichia coli would survive extreme pH shifts during the protein recovery process. Fresh rainbow trout were headed, gutted, and minced and then inoculated with 109 CFU/g E. coli ATCC 25922 or filleted and minced and then inoculated with 109 cfu/g of L. innocua. The fish was …

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Health Promotion During Midlife: The Influence Of Internal Health Locus Of Control And Future Time Perspective, Sarah T. Stahl Jan 2009

Health Promotion During Midlife: The Influence Of Internal Health Locus Of Control And Future Time Perspective, Sarah T. Stahl

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Health promoting behaviors are typically categorized as behaviors that move individuals towards optimal health while concurrently decreasing one's susceptibility to disease and illness (Becker & Arnold, 2004; Breslow, 1999). When compared to other developmental age periods, less is known about health promotion in midlife (Merrill & Verbrugge, 1999). Thus, the present study examined the relations among demographic variables, future time perspective, internal health locus of control, and middle-aged adults' engagement in health promotion. Data from 109 middle-aged adults between the ages of 40 and 66 were collected via an online survey. Results indicated that the data fit the model poorly …

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Hay Quality In West Virginia - Project Report 2008, Edward Barrow Rayburn, Rodney M. Wallbrown Dec 2008

Hay Quality In West Virginia - Project Report 2008, Edward Barrow Rayburn, Rodney M. Wallbrown

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

WVU-Extension fact sheet

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Evaluation Of Weaning Regimen And Seminal Plasma Biology On Reproductive Management In Cattle, John Fredrick Odhiambo Dec 2008

Evaluation Of Weaning Regimen And Seminal Plasma Biology On Reproductive Management In Cattle, John Fredrick Odhiambo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The goal of any reproductive management system in cattle is to ensure that cows breed at the earliest opportune time and maintain their pregnancy to term. However, delayed resumption of postpartum ovarian cyclic activity in primiparous beef cows and pregnancy losses in dairy cows continue to impede progress in obtaining sound reproductive efficiency in these species. Three studies were designed to test the following hypotheses: (1) Does removal of lactational stress in beef cows by early weaning of calves improve cow energy profile and postpartum reproductive performance? (2) Does artificial insemination (AI) with adjunctive seminal plasma (SP) or transforming growth …

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Obesity And Spatial Context In Appalachia, Roberta J. Alt Dec 2008

Obesity And Spatial Context In Appalachia, Roberta J. Alt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The prevalence of obesity has increased substantially over the past 30 years. Obesity is a multi-factorial disorder, which is often associated with many other significant diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, osteoarthritis and certain cancers. For these reasons, it is a complex health issue to address. The objective of this study is to identify the factors which are responsible for the spatial variation of adult obesity throughout the Appalachian region. In addition, preliminary examinations are made to identify potential associations between geographic variability in the prevalence of obesity and the characteristics of individuals and places with variable …

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Development And Evaluation Of A Minimally Invasive Sampling Technique To Estimate The Age Of Living Birds, Crissa K. Cooey Dec 2008

Development And Evaluation Of A Minimally Invasive Sampling Technique To Estimate The Age Of Living Birds, Crissa K. Cooey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Using pest species in initial studies of pentosidine (Ps) aging research for birds may be the catalyst to discovering more effective population control strategies for pest, invasive, and hard to manage birds. Pentosidine is an irreversible, stable, fluorescent, collagen cross-link, created through the Maillard reaction, which has been found to accumulate throughout the lifetime of an organism in various body parts such as skin, lens crystalline, and dura matter. Pentosidine assays are more accurate at determining the age of adult birds in comparison to plumage coloration, eye and mouth color, feather wear, and molt sequences due to the discovery that …

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Effect Of Dietary Lysine And Genetics On Indices Of Energy And Protein Metabolism In Rainbow Trout And Alterations In The Mitochondrial Proteome In Broilers Fed A Lysine-Deficient Diet, Stephanie K. Pomeroy Dec 2008

Effect Of Dietary Lysine And Genetics On Indices Of Energy And Protein Metabolism In Rainbow Trout And Alterations In The Mitochondrial Proteome In Broilers Fed A Lysine-Deficient Diet, Stephanie K. Pomeroy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

How an organism reacts to consuming a lysine deficient diet was examined in two different circumstances. First, the responses of ten different genetic lines of rainbow trout were observed while consuming a lysine-deficient (LD) diet, used to mimic a soybean meal-containing diet. The aquaculture industry is investigating the incorporation of soybean meal into carnivorous fish diets to alleviate the need for fishmeal. If soybean meal is incorporated into the diet, an assessment of the genetic strains of fish used in the aquaculture industry today must be performed since differences in genetics have been shown to effect growth. When compared to …

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The Use Of Chickens To Remove The Infective Stage Of Haemonchus Contortus From The Field After Sheep Have Grazed, Jessica Harley Nicole Eddy Dec 2008

The Use Of Chickens To Remove The Infective Stage Of Haemonchus Contortus From The Field After Sheep Have Grazed, Jessica Harley Nicole Eddy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There are few USDA organic certified practices for controlling the nematode Haemonchus contortus. This small ruminant parasite has a life cycle that makes it a candidate for control using field rotations. The third-stage of the nematode's life cycle is responsible for infecting or re-infecting a host and the use of chickens to control H. contortus has not been tested. This experiment was conducted to determine if the chicken's foraging behavior reduces the number of infective third-stage larvae on the pasture by comparing a chicken sub-plot, a sub-plot that was mowed, a control sub-plot and a pretreatment. These forage removal methods …

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Ex Libris, Fall 2008, West Virginia University. Library. Oct 2008

Ex Libris, Fall 2008, West Virginia University. Library.

Ex Libris: The WVU Libraries Magazine

WV Collection Receives More Knotts Memorabilia and WVU Libraries Selected for Digital Pilot Project

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Organic Methods To Control Root Rot Of Peas And Spinach In North-Central West Virginia, Hannah Witten Schrum Aug 2008

Organic Methods To Control Root Rot Of Peas And Spinach In North-Central West Virginia, Hannah Witten Schrum

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Root rot disease is a limiting factor in organic production of cool season crops for many growers in North central West Virginia. In attempt to control root rot and its devastating impact on crop stands we decided to study a number of environmental, cultural, and biological control methods. The purpose of this work was to study the effect of alterations of the seed environment on disease incidence (measured by crop emergence and survival 21 days after planting) and thereby define techniques which are suitable for small growers to adopt if they have root rot problems. We therefore explored four broadly …

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Analysis Of Tomato Synthetic Seeds For The Development Of An Optimized Encapsulation System, John E. Porter Aug 2008

Analysis Of Tomato Synthetic Seeds For The Development Of An Optimized Encapsulation System, John E. Porter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In vitro propagules of tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum L.) were used to evaluate the effects of alginate encapsulation and subsequent storage for synthetic seed (synseed) production. Nodal segments were encapsulated in hollow alginate beads with and without supplemental nutrients, auxin (0, 2.5 and 5 muM IBA) and fungicide (0, 50 and 100 muM Daconil 2787). Synseeds were stored for 0, 30 and 90 days at 4+/-1°C in darkness and were given a light treatment (none vs. one week at 25+/-2°C with a 16 hour photoperiod) before sowing in a greenhouse hydroponic system. There was no survival across all treatments of …

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Cognitive Appraisal Of Perceived Threat Of Diabetes And Adherence To Self -Management Behaviors, Roger D. Carpenter Aug 2008

Cognitive Appraisal Of Perceived Threat Of Diabetes And Adherence To Self -Management Behaviors, Roger D. Carpenter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background. Within adherence research, health beliefs have been identified as being significant predictors of adherence. Specifically, perceived threat as a health belief has received considerable attention. However, a gap in current knowledge exists in terms of understanding perceived threat of illness as an event that is appraised by the patient.;Aim. The purpose of this exploratory, descriptive study was to examine cognitive appraisal of perceived threat of illness in relation to adherence to self-management behaviors in uninsured/under-insured persons with type 2 diabetes.;Method. A convenience sample consisted of 80 subjects being treated for type 2 diabetes mellitus at a free clinic in …

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State Policy And Food Insecurity In Kenya's Arid And Semi-Arid Land (Asal) Regions, Naomi Shanguhyia May 2008

State Policy And Food Insecurity In Kenya's Arid And Semi-Arid Land (Asal) Regions, Naomi Shanguhyia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Kenya's arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) have continued to experience chronic and persistent food crises despite the efforts made by governmental and non-governmental organizations to address the problem. Inappropriate policies and poor approaches have partly been blamed for this persistence. This study therefore seeks to examine how food insecurity is conceptualized within policy documents, the perceived causes and solutions, and potential drawbacks of such perceptions. The study adopts a political ecology framework within which Ellis' (2000) rural livelihood approach and Sen's (1981) entitlement thesis are used to analyze selected government policy documents and related reports. A brief historical overview of …

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Agricultural Awareness And Perceptions Of Freshmen At West Virginia University, Laura L. Pfeifer May 2008

Agricultural Awareness And Perceptions Of Freshmen At West Virginia University, Laura L. Pfeifer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Increased dependence on technology and further removal from agricultural practices has given rise to a decrease in agricultural literacy among members of society, which has established a need for advancement in educating individuals about the basic concepts of agriculture. This study was designed to determine the knowledge of agriculture possessed by incoming freshmen at West Virginia University (WVU). The data collected for this study were obtained from 403 freshmen participants who reported their responses to 35 Agricultural Knowledge, 35 Agricultural Perceptions, and 24 demographic statements and questions on an instrument administered during multiple First Year Orientation courses at WVU. It …

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