Digital Commons Network^™

Health Attitudes, Knowledge And Literacy Of Primary Caregivers With Elementary School Children, Susan Stuib

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has indicated that physical activity and healthy eating in elementary school children are the exception rather than the norm. Increased attention to the rising rates of childhood obesity, coupled with the recognition that changes in the school environment are critical to reducing this trend, has intensified the need to adopt better practices in school nutrition, physical activity and physical education. Apart from being physically active, children need to learn fundamental motor skills and develop health related physical fitness (cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition). Primary caregivers play an important part in developing and teaching …

Landsat Scene Normalization Using Modis 250 Meter Tree Cover Map, Bernard Adusei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High spatial resolution Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM +) bands 4, 5, and 7 coupled with pre-existing Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 250m resolution maps as reference information were employed in an attempt to catalog anthropogenic impacts on the Congo Ba in's humid tropical forest. The utility of Landsat multi-spectral data depends both on the extent to which surface properties can be estimated from the radiometric measurements and on the ability to observe the surface through the atmosphere. Cloud cover is a major impediment to optical remote sensing of humid tropical regions. Accordingly, applications may …

Sauger Population Ecology In Three Missouri River Mainstem Reservoirs, Brian D. S. Graeb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sauger Sander canadensis populations have experienced widespread declines across much of their range. Factors suspected to contribute to these declines include hybridization, exploitation, loss of spawning areas, and general habitat alterations associated with regulated rivers. Several sauger populations within the Missouri River basin are also experiencing similar declines, particularly in the headwaters of Montana, and the lower basin states of Nebraska and Missouri. However, sauger populations in many of the reservoirs in South Dakota (between Montana and the lower basin) have relatively stable populations. Given the paucity of information on factors influencing sauger population ecology in general, and Missouri River …

Searching For A Place : Community As Resistance In Black Literatures / By Jon Matthew Saye, Jon Matthew Saye

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Central Effects Of Aminopeptidase-Resistant Analogs Of Ang Ii In The Rat, Ranjita J. Kokje

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Factors Regulating Walleye Early Survival And Cohort Strength In Eastern South Dakota Glacial Lakes, Richard D. Zweifel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Walleye Sander vitreus is an important ecological component of glacial lake aquatic communities in eastern South Dakota, and the most popular sport fish in the region. Walleye populations in this region exhibit consistently poor or annually-variable reproductive success and are regularly stocked in an effort to maintain consistent recreational fisheries. However, current stocking programs are based on reproductive success from previous years rather than on expected reproductive success in the year which stocking occurs. Determination of walleye cohort strength at the larval life stage would provide a stocking prioritization system that would utilize the natural reproduction of in situ walleye …

Nitrogen Use Efficiency In Cyperus Haspan, A Cγéâ Wetland Sedge, In A Six-Month Greenhouse Experiment At The University Of Mississippi Field Station, Alison Avery Faulkner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Emotion Intensity, Emotion Regulation, And Emotion Knowledge In The Prediction Of Reactive And Proactive Aggression, Kimberly Lynn Parks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Comparing Aster And Landsat 7 Etm+ For Change Detection, Taufique Hasan Mahmood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Complex Human Behavior And Gender Categorization, Catherine H. Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Clay And Organic Content On The Acoustic Behavior Of Sediment Saturated By Water Or Atrazine, Sireesha Gudipudi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Plant Community Responses To An Extended Fire-Free Interval Following Frequent Fires In Two Wet Pine Savannas In Southern Mississippi, Sarah E. Hinman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Ethanol Toxicity In Japanese Medaka Embryogenesis : A Mechanistic Study / By Xueqing Wang, Xueqing Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Microbial Modification Of Corn Stover To Increase Ethanol Yield, Naresh K. Budhavaram

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Depression, Volition, And Death: The Effect Of Depressive Disorders On The Autonomous Choice To Forgo Medical Treatment, Matthew Butkus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many contemporary models of medical ethics champion patient autonomy to counterbalance historically paternalistic decision-making processes. These models tend to suggest an autonomous agent free from cognitive bias and systematic distortion (e.g., Kantian or Cartesian rational agents). Evidence is emerging from the fields of cognitive psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience that fundamentally challenge this cognitive model, demonstrating the dependence of cognition on deeper, avolitional structures (e.g., backstage cognition, cognitive heuristics and biases, automaticity, emotionally-valenced memory, etc.), and hence, shifting the cognitive model towards reductionistic and deterministic philosophies and psychologies. Medical ethics models must adapt their sense of autonomy in light of …

Model Validation For Aqua Ammonia Scrubber Process And Exploratory Research Into Alkyltin Pollutants: Alkyltin Method Evaluations, Kathleen Stutz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

NETL Project Abstract: This study constitutes an application of electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI/TOF-MS) for the analysis of aqueous ammonia chemical species produced in a model reactor developed by The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) of the US Department of Energy. The reactor is the result of experimental research performed by NETL on applying aqueous ammonia solution for the simultaneous reduction of acidic gaseous emission from fossil fuel-fired utility plants. The goal of using ESI/TOF-MS was to evaluate NETL process efficiency through analysis of the aqueous ammonia species present at various points aqua ammonia scrubber process, and to validate …

The Isolation Of Intragenic Suppressors To Point Mutations In The 3' Coding Region Of Ftsz Of Streptomyces Coelicolor, Andrew Joseph Szabo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

FtsZ is the earliest known acting protein in the prokaryotic division machine. In Streptomyces coelicolor, mutations in ftsZ result in hyphae that cannot support division and the formation of uninucleoid spores. Part of this study focused on isolating intragenic suppressors to the ftsZ(A275V) mutation to investigate the function of the C-Terminal Domain of the protein. To date, eight intragenic suppressors of A275V have been isolated, three in this study. Their distribution in FtsZ is scattered, although there seems to be a preference for mutations that are near the GTP-binding domain. Also, the function of the highly conserved C-Terminal Core Domain …

Truth As Relationship: The Psychology Of E. Graham Howe, Ian Charles Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dr. Eric Graham Howe (d. 1975) was one of the most important psychologists in early 20th century Britain. Yet, for the most part, his work is relatively unknown. Howe was unjustly dismissed by the psychoanalytic community of his time. Howe was not only left out of the history of psychoanalysis, but also the history of psychology. Because of Howe's uninhibited eclecticism, because both the psychoanalytic and psychological literatures have ignored his work, and because he contributed to his own posthumous neglect, it was necessary to write a comprehensive survey of Howe's writings. Such a survey demonstrated the depth of his …

Microbial Transformation Of Arsenic And The Characterization Of Clostridium Sp. Strain Ohilas, Edward Fisher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The impact of electron donor (acetate, pyruvate, lactate, formate, and hydrogen) and arsenate concentration (1, 5, 10, and 20 mM) on microbial arsenate reduction in freshwater sediments from the Ohio River, Pittsburgh PA was investigated. Hydrogen (with acetate as the carbon source) appeared to be the best electron donor and 5 mM sodium arsenate the most effective for both growth and orpiment (As2S3) production. A mesophilic, spore-forming, motile, low-mole %GC gram-positive bacterium was isolated from Ohio River sediments on medium with 20 mM lactate and 10 mM arsenate. Although pH 8 was optimal for growth, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis …

The Effects Of Women's Health And Life Experiences On Surgical Intervention, Debra Jeanne Hastings

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that violence against women is a significant public health problem that has reached catastrophic levels. Women who are abused use health care services at higher rates than those who are not abused and continue to experience health problems long after the original trauma. Few studies have examined the association between women's history of victimization and numbers and types of surgical interventions over the life course.

A triangulated study using quantitative and qualitative approaches was designed. The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted through use of a survey of 156 women who were scheduled for elective surgery. The qualitative methodology, …

An Assessment Of The Levels Of Stress Among Beginning Counselor Education Graduate Students, Students Beginning The Counseling Practicum And Students Graduating From Their Program Of Studies, Richard Christian Hoffman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following study examines stress among graduate level counselor education students at different stages during their training program. The students were assigned to three groups according to training level: (1) beginning, (2) practicum, and (3) graduating. The Stress Profile (Nowack, 1999) was administered to the students (N= 58). Three constructs were chosen from the survey: (1) stress, (2) cognitive hardiness, and (3) psychological well-being. The constructs were developed using the theoretical framework of Lazarus's (1999) theory of appraisal and stress. These variables were compared among the students to determine if a difference in stress levels exists at different times during …

The Effect Of Papp-A On The Proliferation And Differentiation Of Mg-63 And Human Adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Shelby Hott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pregnancy associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) plays an important role in the activity of the Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) family by proteolytically cleaving IGF-Binding Protein-4 (IGFBP-4) causing it to dissociate from IGF-I in vivo. This increases the bioavailability of IGF-I, allowing IGF-I to participate in growth and development. My goal was to evaluate the ability of PAPP-A to directly stimulate proliferation and differentiation of human adult mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSC) cells in vitro.

Commercially available PAPP-A, comprised of a heterotetrameric complex consisting of two PAPP-A subunits and two pro-MBP (proform of eosinophil major basic protein) subunits, was used in the following …

Solid-Phase Induction Of Xenopus Laevis Animal Caps By Fgf-2: A Novel Developmental Approach, Peter Maropis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cells become different in development due to induction, a ligand-mediated cell interaction. This type of interaction is an area of intense research for developmental biologists studying the effects of different growth factors (during development). The conventional approach to induction with Xenopus Laevis, African Clawed Frog, employs placing cells or tissues in a growth factor solution. This design reveals an enormous amount of information and insight into developmental processes, but it is not an accurate approach to simulate in vivo conditions. Here, I use a novel approach, termed solid-phase induction, as a more realistic and controllable approach. I utilize a glass …

Economic Instruments For Water Pollution Control Policy Making Issues: Experiences From Colombia, Monica Mildrei Montoya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As part of the pollution control effort several developing countries have established economic-based initiatives to improve environmental quality. In this study the Colombian water pollution charge, which was implemented in 1997, is analyzed. The two key questions that this study attempts to answer are: 1) Does the performance of the pollution charge program in Colombia undermine the notion that economic instruments are not feasible in developing countries? 2) Which factors determine the performance of the water pollution charge program across regional environmental agencies in Colombia?

The answer to these questions provides valuable information for developing countries looking for more efficient …

When Wombs Became Weapons: Women, Policy, And Propaganda In The Third Reich, Melanie Predis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to examine how the Nazi State used visual forms of propaganda in order to convey certain gender-specific policy aims to women living in the Third Reich. This will be accomplished by using the novel scholarly approach (referred to as the New Intentionalist approach) that these policy aims were not only fulfilling a State-centered need, but they also were reflecting a desire and a voice of agreement within the German population of women. In other words, while these policies were certainly driven by the immediate political needs of the National Socialists, such policies could not …

A Mechanistic Evaluation Of How Melatonin Enhances Alkaline Phosphatase Activity In Human Adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Nicholas Radio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current osteoporosis therapy is directed toward inhibiting the activity of bone-resorbing osteoclasts. Decreased bone producing osteoblast efficiency however, is largely responsible for osteoporosis development. Therefore, novel osteoporosis treatments should stimulate osteoblast formation and activity. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to determine melatonin's role and subsequent mechanism(s) involved in differentiating human adult mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) into osteoblasts as assessed by alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) and determine whether receptor compartmentalization facilitates these signaling mechanisms. Melatonin significantly increased osteogenic medium-induced alkaline phosphatase activity, an enzyme associated with functional osteoblasts, indicating melatonin enhances osteoblast differentiation. The mitogen activated protein kinase signaling …

Genetic Population Structure Of The Federally Endangered Etowah Darter, Etheostoma Etowahae, Shane Ritchea

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Etowah darter is a recently described member of the Etheostoma (Nothonotus) jordani species group believed to be geographically restricted to the Upper Etowah River in Georgia. Small population sizes and restricted range present potential risks to the continued existence of this endangered species. The most geographically proximal records of the relatively abundant greenbreast darter, E. jordani, were reported from Stamp Creek (a tributary to the middle section of the Etowah River); however, in recent surveys Nothonotus individuals have been documented from intermediate localities and appear to be morphological mixtures of E. jordani and E. etowahae. Two alternative hypotheses may …

The Effects Of Sex And Reproductive Condition On Chemosensory Communication In The Terrestrial Salamander, Plethodon Shermani, Stephanie Schubert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Non-volatile chemosensory cues may be detected by sensory neurons of the vomeronasal organ (VNO) and elicit changes in reproductive behavior and physiology of conspecifics. In the terrestrial salamander, Plethodon shermani, the VNO of males is larger than that of females, despite males' smaller overall body size. I hypothesized that a larger VNO reflects an enhanced ability to detect chemosensory cues, and that animals with elevated levels of steroid levels would be more sensitive to cues from the opposite sex.

Chemo-investigatory behavior was both sexually dimorphic and hormonally modulated. In contrast, responsiveness of the VNO (as measured by agmatine uptake, a …

Culture Care Meanings, Beliefs And Practices Of Rural Dominicans In A Rural Village Of The Dominican Republic: An Ethnonursing Study Conceptualized Within The Culture Care Theory, Gretchen Schumacher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this ethnonursing study was to discover, describe and analyze the meanings, beliefs and practices of care for Dominican people living in a rural village of the Dominican Republic. Leininger's Culture Care Diversity and Universality Theory and ethnonursing method was utilized as an organizing framework for studying the domain of inquiry. Interviews were conducted with nineteen general informants and ten key informants, all of whom were rural Dominicans living in the village of Villegas 60 miles northwest of Santo Domingo. Exhaustive analysis of audio-taped interviews revealed eighteen categories and nine patterns from which three main themes emerged. The …

There's No Place Like Home? The Effects Of Childhood Themes On Women's Aspirations Toward Leadership Roles, Janet Wojtalik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The shortage of women in leadership positions remains a far-reaching concern in all management arenas. Although the literature hints at the influence of the internal barriers of lack of self-confidence, poor self-esteem and the overwhelming attitude of instinctive male dominance, the literature fails to address the impact of early childhood themes on the development of these misconceptions. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of childhood themes on women's aspirations toward leadership as suggested by the Eccles Model of Achievement Related Choices. Early childhood gender related experiences of women in leadership and non-leadership roles were solicited using …