Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of Stream Assessment Protocols For The Evaluation Of Habitat In Intermittent Headwater Streams, Eric Rasmussen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

EPA and state water resource agencies are now placing greater emphasis on monitoring and managing headwater streams. Two EPA stream protocols are available for headwater stream assessment but little effort has been made to compare these two methods or their resulting habitat quality index scores. The objectives of this effort were to 1) compare data types of the two protocols; 2) compare how the two protocols assess intermittent streams using habitat quality index (HQI) scores; and 3) compare stream characteristic emphases (geomorphology, riparia, substrate, in-stream cover for biota and hydrology) between the two protocols and their effect on overall HQI …

Science Based Authentication Of Dietary Supplements: Studies On The Chemical Constituents, Analytical Method And Biological Activities Of Scutellaria Spp And Pfaffia Paniculata, Jing Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the last decade, the use of herbal medicine has expanded globally and gained popularity. With the tremendous expansion in the use of herbal medicine worldwide, safety and efficacy as well as quality control of herbal medicines have become more and more issues of concern for both health authorities and the public. Although herbal medicine has been in use for hundreds to thousands years, very limited science-based data exist to explicit its chemical constituents, pharmacological activities and toxicity. Therefore, lack of scientific evidence for herbal medicine usage elicits the need for systematic studies of herbal medicine, including phytochemical, analytical, and …

A Single Case Study Of A Three Year Coordinated School Health Program At A Rural North Mississippi Elementary School, Sandra Lena Howell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The single case study presents the story of the implementation of a three year Coordinated School Health Program (CSHP) at a rural North Mississippi school. The school was recognized by the Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Healthy Schools, as one of ten selected model Mississippi healthy schools. An awarded grant of one hundred thousand dollars funded the implementation of the CSHP over a three year period. The study examined the impact of the CSHP on the students, staff, and personnel. Two types of data were collected and analyzed including archived documents and interviews conducted with five members of the …

An Evaluation Of Duck And Ring-Necked Pheasant Nest Survival And Nest Density In Relation To Patch Size And Landscape Variables In Eastern South Dakota, Keith J. Fisk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grassland ecosystems in South Dakota have experienced significant transformations over the last 100 years. Landscapes are currently dominated by large agricultural fields interspersed with small, isolated grassland patches. These isolated grassland patches are hypothesized to experience decreased nest survival rates for ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) and dabbling duck species due to small size and high degrees of fragmentation. Several natural resource agencies currently conserve grasslands throughout eastern South Dakota, but wildlife managers seek more information on how the size and spatial arrangement of grasslands affect targeted conservation strategies. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to: (1) evaluate the relationship …

Differences In Spider Community Composition Among Adjacent Sites During Initial Stages Of Oak Woodland Restoration / Jason Ryndock, Jason Adam Ryndock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Fine-Scale Patterns In The Evolution Of Aposematic Signals In The Poison Frog Dendrobates Tinctorius, Aaron Arthur Comeault

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Approaches Towards The Synthesis Of Bradyoxetin, Vanildo Martins Lima Braga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Quorum sensing bacteria produce and release chemical signal molecules (like N-acyl homoserine lactones, AHL) that increase in concentration as a function of cell density. The responses cover a large spectrum of process such as the virulence in Staphylococcus aureus, competence for DNA-uptake in Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus pneumoniae, sporulation in Bacillus subtilis, conjugal plasmid transfer in Enterococcus faecalis, and bacteriocin production in lactic acid bacteria. The collapse of (AHL) signaling system in bacteria represents an attractive therapeutic approach towards the development of new antibiotics. Recently, a new extracellular modulator was isolated from a symbiotic bacterium (Bradyrhizobium japonicum) that nodulates soybean. …

The Fungal Connection: Characterizing The Ectomycorrhizal Community And Belowground Response To Restoration Treatments In Northern Mississippi., Ashley Jane Craig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are symbionts on the roots of woody plant species throughout the world. These fungi provide plants with nutrients and are important drivers of ecosystem processes. ECM fungi vary in their effect on host plants and host-specificity, making them important considerations in restoration projects seeking to restore target tree species. Restoration strategies such as burning and thinning may have strong impacts on ECM fungi, and given the that ECM are important in structuring aboveground communities and maintaining certain dominant plant taxa, knowledge of ECM fungal response is needed to ensure restoration efforts succeed. Using molecular methods, this research …

Differences In Bone Mineral Density Among Adolescent Female Tennis Players And Non-Tennis Players, Kevser Ermin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 10 million Americans have osteoporosis. Physical activity (PA) is an important step in preventing osteoporosis and is one of the major determinants of peak bone mass during adolescence. However, type of pa plays an important role when examining the effects of pa on bone mineral density (BMD). Purpose: 1) to determine the differences in BMD among adolescent female tennis players (TP) and non-tennis players (NTP); 2) to determine the differences in body composition (BC) between adolescent female TP and NTP; 3) to determine whether BC variables (weight, fat mass, and lean mass) were predictive of differences in BMD; and …

The Effects Of Ecological Restoration On Soil Microbial Enzyme Activities And Leaf Litter Decomposition, Anthony Jason Rietl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the immediate effects of ecological restoration on soil enzyme activities and decomposition. The activities of five enzymes: phosphatase, ?-glucosidase, ?-N-acetylglucosadminidase (NAGase), phenol oxidase, and lignin-peroxidase were measured in both soils and on decomposing Quercus falcata leaf litter in unburned, burned, and burned and thinned plots in a mesic forest in northern Mississippi. Rates of decomposition were also assessed for Q. falcata leaf litter at each plot. The restoration treatments decreased phosphatase activity in relation to an increase in soil organic matter after the fire, and increased NAGase activity in relation to a decrease in leaf litter after …

The Crescent And The Cross: Islamic Influence In Southern Culture, Jesse Wright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To a large degree, America has adopted African American culture as its own. One may hear and see African American influence in popular music, grammar, fashion and art, but rarely are the sources of these influences divined, in no small part to difficulties inherent in interdisciplinary studies. This thesis will examine the Islamic aesthetics in African American quilts. This work focuses on design and color elements and I trace Islamic influence from West Africa to the U.S. South by way of the slave trade. The original scholarship comes from in the Mississippi Delta, although this thesis also uses quilt books …

A One-Dimensional Model Of Cohesive Sediment Transport In Open Channels, Qianru Lin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Cognitive-Behavioral Aspects Of Eating And Bmi Status In Young Adults, Mary Righton Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Gis-Based Analysis Of Chickasaw Settlement In Northeast Mississippi : 1650-1840, Wendy Cegielski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Perception Of Risk Of Heart Disease In Comparison To Actual Risk In College Females, Samantha Hirth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Osteology Of The Chalillo Dam Archaeology Salvage Project, Upper Macal River Valley, Belize, Lenna M. Nash

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Acoustically-Enhanced Contaminant Remediation : The Effect Of Acoustic Energy On The Remediation Of Contaminated Soil And Groundwater / Shannon Wilson, Shannon Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Development And Evaluation Of A Six Sigma Green Belt Education Module For Chemical Engineering Students, Jason R. Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Distributed Scheduling Mechanism To Improve Voip Traffic Carrying Capacity In Ieee 802.11 Ad Hoc Networks, Munther Mohammad Hammouri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Fungi-Derived Natural Products With Binding Affinities For Human Opioid Or Cannabinoid Receptors, Jiangtao Gao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Both opioid and cannabinoid receptors belong to the large superfamily of GPCRs and play an important role in a variety of processes including pain, craving, neurodegeneration, metabolic regulation, anxiety and immune function. Therefore, recent advances and discoveries in opioid and cannabinoid receptors have paved the way for a very exciting future for opioid and cannabinoid receptors-based therapies to potentially treat a variety of conditions. However, the growing realizations of the complexity of these two receptors regulation in physiological and pathological conditions have discouraged the development of new therapeutics. So, it is important for us to identify new chemical scaffolds which …

Design And Synthesis Of Cdk-5 And Mek-5 Inhibitors And Synthesis Towards Tubulysin Analogs, Ishveen Kaur Chopra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

CDK-5 is associated with hyperphosphorylation of the microtubule-associated protein tau, formation of neurofibrillary tangles, and possibly an acceleration of the neurodegenerative progression of Alzheimer's disease. C6-O linked benzimidazoles and C-4 benzamide and phenylacetamide benzimidazoles based on (R)-Roscovitine, a non-selective inhibitor of CDK-5 were designed and synthesized.

MEK-5, a member of the MAPK family, phosphorylates ERK-5 permitting cells to survive oxidative stress. MEK-5 is upregulated in tumor cells and activated by mitogens; inhibition of this enzyme is a potential anti-cancer strategy. Scaffolds from the following classes--benzimidazole, diphenylamine, flavones, and ortho-carboxyamide were examined for their capacity to be developed into potent and …

Clinical Trial Of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy To Reduce Antiretroviral Side Effects In Hiv Patients, R. Eric Doerfler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background & Purpose: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV/AIDS has led to significant improvements in survival and a reduction in AIDS-related morbidity. Adherence to regimens is vital, yet clinical observations and research have suggested that side effects are a significant reason for non-adherence. This randomized, controlled clinical trial was a pilot study sought to determine if a brief exposure cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) could reduce side effect symptoms in HIV/AIDS patients on ART.

Methods: 33 participants were randomized to standard adherence education alone or adherence education plus three sessions of CBT over a period of three months.

Results: Completing the study were …

Morphological And Genetic Investigations Of Pennsylvania Populations Of The Channel Shiner, Notropis Wickliffi, Stephanie Ann Dowell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The channel shiner, Notropis wickliffi, is listed as a vulnerable species in Pennsylvania. Little is known about this species of minnow due to taxonomic confusion with the mimic shiner, N. volucellus. The regional variation in morphology makes it problematic to apply identification characters determined in other studies to Pennsylvania populations. By sequencing the mitochondrial gene, cytochrome b, it was found that N. wickliffi formed a separate phylogenetic clade, while N. volucellus and N. buchanani (ghost shiners) were present in the same clade. Three pigmentation patterns were correlated to the haplotype groups, proving useful in distinguishing between N. wickliffi and N. …

Rights In Flux: The Rights Of Afghan Women In Different Eras, Kelly Anne Drevitch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Have the lives of Afghan women improved since the U.S. invasion of October of 2001? Historically, the George W. Bush Administration followed past foreign governments, Afghan political parties, and Afghan regimes who also promised to "liberate Afghan women" when making the case for war or violence. Using case study methodology and feminist theory, the research compares the status of Afghan women in three eras: before the Taliban (1973 to 1995), during the Taliban (1996 to October 2001), and since the U.S. invasion (October 2001 to December 2009). By applying gender and cultural essentialism, the research concludes that these theories offer …

Describing Emotional, Social, And Cognitive Processes In Adolescents With And Without Psychopathic Traits: Examining Rorschach Variables, Vanessa Rae Talkington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the effectiveness of select Rorschach Inkblot Method (RIM) variables in detecting individual differences among youth diagnosed with Conduct Disorder (CD) who were either high or low on psychopathic traits. Twenty-nine male adolescents with CD in an alternative education school setting were placed into high or low psychopathy groups based on their Hare Psychopathy Checklist (PCL: YV) scores. Significant differences were found for WSum6, a RIM variable that measures cognitive ideation. However, both CD groups gave very few answers that yielded rich RIM protocols. That is, answers tended to be simple and similar, making inferential statistics uninterpretable. …

Anxiety In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Examination Of Reporting Trends Among Children, Parents, And Teachers, Cathryn A. Lehman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by impairments in reciprocal social skills, abnormal language development, and/or a restricted repertoire of behaviors and interests. Among individuals with ASDs, up to 84 percent are thought to have comorbid anxiety diagnoses, which can result in decreased social, emotional, behavioral, academic, and/or adaptive functioning. While differential diagnosis is necessary in order to create symptom-specific treatment protocols to address anxious symptoms, diagnostic decisions can be difficult for clinicians to make due to the common reliance on self-, parent- and teacher-report measures for collecting data. Based on theory, problems arise because deficits in the individual with …

The Rhetoric Of Transitional Justice: Negotiating The Years Of Lead In Morocco, Fadoua Loudiy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transitional justice refers to the variety of rhetorical practices and discourses (restorative and retributive) that nations engage in during the aftermath of state criminality. While examples of mass political violence abound, this inquiry focuses on the Moroccan experience of coming to terms with the Years of Lead where financial reparations have been the primary mode of redress for victims. The philosophy of Paul Ricoeur contributes to a praxis-oriented understanding of transitional justice. This work advances a rhetoric of symbolic justice that privileges the public memory of victims. Symbolic justice offers hope for the renewal of the community's ethos through public …

Assessing The Learning Needs Of South Carolina Nurses By Exploring Their Perceived Knowledge Of Emergency Preparedness, Anne Elizabeth Mckibbin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Problem: Nurses are first responders to natural or man made disasters and increasing awareness of the central role nurses play in disaster response may prompt nurses to sharpen existing skills and develop new skills needed to competently respond to disaster events.

Purpose: To assess South Carolina nurses' learning needs by exploring their perceived knowledge of emergency preparedness in order to gain a better understanding of nurses' emergency preparedness learning needs and prioritize training efforts based on these needs.

Design and Methods: Boone's Programming Model's concept of planning provided the framework for this study which utilized a descriptive correlational design. The …

Discovering The Healthcare Beliefs And Practices Of Rural Mestizo Ecuadorians: An Ethnonursing Study, Julie A. Moss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose

This qualitative ethnonursing study was to discover and understand the role of the nurse, healthcare beliefs and practices of rural mestizo Ecuadorians. Discovering these beliefs and practices will enable nurses and other healthcare workers to provide care that is acceptable, congruent in culture and health promoting.

Background

The current literature regarding Ecuadorian health practices has been limited to the study of indigenous Americo-Indian groups living in Ecuador. No studies have been conducted in the mestizo rural setting.

Research Design

An ethnonursing method developed by Leininger was used to guide this study which took place in Tosagua, Ecuador.

Conclusions and …

Effect Of Melatonin On Differentiation Of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells And A Study On C-Terminal Domains Of Mt1 And Mt2 Melatonin Receptors, Shalini Sethi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Melatonin has been reported to enhance the differentiation of osteoblasts. The purpose of this study was to determine the melatonin treatment that would differentiate human mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) into osteoblasts. A 21 d continuous melatonin treatment significantly increased the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the deposition of calcium in hAMSCs. These effects were inhibited by MT2 specific antagonist- 4P-PDOT. The time periods of melatonin treatment that increased the expression of osteogenic genes indicated both a sensitized and desensitized receptors with respect to cAMP signaling, signifying two distinct mechanisms of melatonin's action. Unlike the parathyroid hormone which is administered in …