Digital Commons Network^™

Child Health Professionals And Their Role In Detecting Speech And Language Impairments: Perceptions And Current Practices, Carissa A H Johnson

Master's Theses

Speech-language impairments are one of the most common conditions of childhood and affect roughly 5-8% of preschoolers and 11-20% of kindergarteners. If left untreated, speech-language impairments persist in 40-60% of children under five years of age and are strong predictors of school failure. Despite strong evidence that supports early intervention, as many as 90% of eligible children are not receiving appropriate services. This qualitative research study investigated child health professionals’ current knowledge, perceptions, and practices for screening and referring children with possible speech and language impairments. Data were gathered primarily through participant interviews and scenario questions. The data were then …

A Qualitative Analysis Of The Therapeutic Alliance From The Perspective Of Adolescents Who Stutter, Kelli D. Riggenbach

Master's Theses

There has been research outlining the importance of the client-clinician relationship in therapeutic outcomes; however, there is a relative lack of research as to the development of the therapeutic alliance in the area of fluency therapy, particularly with adolescents. The purpose of this investigation was to learn about the perceptions of adolescents who stutter regarding characteristics of effective and ineffective speech-language pathologists as well as how these adolescents perceive their own and their speech-language pathologist’s role in the therapeutic alliance. This study addressed the following questions: Q1 How do adolescents with fluency disorders describe their role within the therapeutic alliance? …

The Roles Of Human Cytomegalovirus Us27 Gene Product During Virus Infection, Carolyn C. Tu

Master's Theses

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a widespread pathogen that causes lifelong latent infection. Successful persistence of HCMV in healthy individuals involves extensive manipulation of host cellular functions and immune responses. HCMV encodes four genes for putative G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs): US27, US28, UL33, and UL78. The US28 gene product is a functional chemokine receptor that exhibits a variety of signaling outcomes. In contrast, the US27 gene product is an orphan with no known chemokine ligands. We have found that US27 triggers several biological effects: increased cellular proliferation, changes in gene expression, and enhanced signaling of cellular chemokine receptor CXCR4. Enhanced cell …

Latitudinal Variation In Thermal Tolerance And Preference Of Fundulus Notatus And F. Olivaceus: Implications For Temperature Mediated Reproductive Isolation, Laura Kristin Stewart

Master's Theses

Temperature is one of the most pervasive and influential abiotic factors affecting the life histories of fish, regulating a host of physiological processes and influencing behavioral thermoregulation. Fundulus notatus, the blackstripe topminnow, and F. olivaceus, the blackspotted topminnow, are widely distributed species located in drainages along the northern part of Gulf of Mexico (30°N latitude) and as far north as southern Illinois (39°N latitude). However, F. notatus has a much broader range reaching up into the Great Lakes (43°N latitude). Due to their broad geographical range, these populations inhabit a wide range of thermal regimes, thus …

Biogeochemical Alteration Of Particulate Pyrogenic Organic Carbon (Pyc), Jason Matthew Stuart

Master's Theses

The resistance of plant derived pyrogenic organic carbon (pyC) to abiotic and biotic means of degradation has led to increased interest in the role of pyC as a potential carbon sink, as well as a strategy for sequestering atmospheric CO2 to mitigate excess carbon emissions. Though much research pertaining to the fundamental properties of pyC degradation have been performed in a controlled lab setting, there has been very little work regarding pyC degradation in a field setting where factors such as precipitation and temperature fluctuate seasonally. This work focuses on various degradation characteristics of two …

Design Of A Non-Contact Home Monitoring System For Audio Detection Of Infant Apnea, Daniel T. White

Master's Theses

Infant apnea is a widespread condition in which infants fail to effectively breathe, and can lead to death. Clinical solutions exist for continuous monitoring of respirations in a hospital setting and requiring constant skin contact. This thesis investigates the construction of a proof of concept device that performs in-home monitoring without skin contact and with commonly available off-the-shelf components.

The device constructed used a directional microphone to detect breathing sounds, an omnidirectional microphone to detect ambient noise as a baseline to help isolate the breathing sounds, and LabVIEW software deployed on an inexpensive laptop computer to quantify incidents of apparent …

Ichthyoplankton Composition In The Loop Current And Sargassum Habitats In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Stephanie Morgan Taylor

Master's Theses

Ichthyoplankton in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) aggregate in two different habitats that serve to provide refuge and concentrate prey in an otherwise oligotrophic environment: the Loop Current (LC) a mesoscale oceanographic feature characterized by the transition of environmental conditions of the water mass between the GOM and Caribbean; and Sargassum, a two species assemblage of floating brown algae that is habitat for many larval and juvenile obligate and associated fishes. The objectives of this study were to characterize the density and community composition of ichthyoplankton within these habitats using multivariate analysis. I identified three unique assemblages of ichthyoplankton …

Naturalists’ Perspectives On The Use Of Mobile Technology During A Nature Hike, Aubin Marishka Radzewicz St. Clair

Master's Theses

Naturalists act as our link between scientific knowledge and the public’s understanding of natural history and conservation efforts. In order for them to succeed, they need access to reference materials as well as up-to-date information (Mankin, Warner, & Anderson, 1999). Incorporating mobile technology (i.e. tablets) into naturalists’ endeavors in natural history and environmental education can be used as supportive and educational tools. My project investigated how newly trained naturalists used tablet technology while leading groups of children on nature hikes. I investigated naturalists’ views on the use of mobile technology as a tool during the hikes. My research was guided …

The Distribution Of Dissolved Barium Along The U.S. Geotraces North Atlantic Transect: Impact Of Biogeochemical Processes, Circulation And Phase Association, Karen Renee Grissom

Master's Theses

During the last four decades, since the completion of the GEOSECS program, there has been a growing interest in the biogeochemical cycle of barium (Ba) due to its potential as a proxy for interpreting the geologic record. The typical barium distribution exhibits removal in the upper water column and regeneration at depth, consistent with its classification as a bio-intermediate element and similar to the nutrient-like profiles of silicic acid and alkalinity. To better constrain the uses of Ba, trace element clean samples were collected during the North Atlantic US GEOTRACES cruises.

The cycling of barium in the North Atlantic region …

Habitat Selection Of Gulf-Strain Striped Bass, Morone Saxatilis: Relationships To Dynamic Abiotic Environmental Characteristics Within The Biloxi River, Mississippi, Jennifer Lynne Green

Master's Theses

The purpose of this project was to provide insights about the short- and long-term patterns of habitat selection of Gulf-strain Striped Bass, Morone saxatilis, based on spatially and seasonally variable abiotic environmental characteristics (water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, specific conductivity, and pH) in the Biloxi River, MS system. Juvenile hatchery-reared and feral adult Gulf-strain Striped Bass were acoustically-tagged and continuously monitored via active and passive telemetry from November 2012 – June 2014. Each month the available abiotic environmental characteristics of 40 random locations within the Biloxi River, along with sub-habitat conditions occupied by acoustically-tagged Gulf-strain Striped Bass, were …

Zebrafish And Conditioned Place Preference: A Translational Model Of Drug Reward, Adam Douglas Collier

Master's Theses

Addiction and substance abuse commonly lead to negative outcomes such damaged health, domestic violence, child abuse, failure in school, and loss of employment. In the United States, hundreds of billions of dollars accrue annually in costs associated with healthcare, crime and lost productivity due to addiction. Efficacious treatments remain few in number, the development of which will be facilitated by comprehension of environmental, genetic, pharmacological and neurobiological mechanisms implicated in the pathogenesis of addiction. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has recently gained popularity as a model organism of complex brain disorders (e.g., substance use disorder). Behavioral quantification within the conditioned place …

Application Of A New Tree-Ring Based Drought Reconstruction Method At Multiple Forest Sites Across Indiana, U.S.A., Kayla Mechelle Pendergrass

Master's Theses

This thesis research used techniques of dendrochronology to investigate the efficacy of using multiple co-occurring species (MCOS) in a climate reconstruction model compared to a single species (SS) in four old-growth forests in Indiana: Pioneer Mothers Memorial Forest (PM), Donaldson Woods (DW), Hoot Woods (HW), and Lilly Dickey Woods (LD). The objectives of this study were to [1] evaluate the climate response of all chronologies (n = 19; 7 species) to determine the most appropriate climate variable for reconstruction and [2] determine if the MCOS model outperforms the SS model at each individual study site. Model comparison was conducted …

A Poetic Poioumenon: Coterie And Ekphrasis In David Lehman's "The Breeders' Cup", Anna Beth Rowe

Master's Theses

David Lehman’s poem “The Breeders’ Cup” uses cross-generational coterie and ekphrasis to create a poetic poioumenon. When read in terms of art criticism, Lehman’s “The Breeders’ Cup” models creative processes from the past and calls for a rehabilitative ethic in postmodern poetics. Lehman follows the ekphrastic form, which associates a poem with a work of visual art, from his New York School predecessor Frank O’Hara. “The Breeders’ Cup” addresses Édouard Manet’s 1865 painting Olympia through ekphrasis, and the painting of a prostitute becomes a patron saint of parody for postmodern poetics. The poem introduces lust as a metaphor for creative …

Evaluation Of The Protein Recognition Properties Of Peptide Nucleic Acids, Crystal Cox Serrano

Master's Theses

The objective is to evaluate the ability of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS) to recognize the non-standard nucleic acid, PNA (peptide nucleic acid). PNA has immense potential in biomedical applications due to its increased thermostability and nuclease resistance over natural nucleic acids. PNA represents a superior alternative to natural nucleic acids in many biomedical applications due to its specificity, strong binding, and nuclease resistance. This study is the initial data set that indicates PNA are recognized by translation enzymes.

Elucidating The Molecular Function Of Reprolysin Metalloproteases In Tick-Host-Pathogen Interaction, Jaclyn Bo Williams

Master's Theses

Ticks are ectoparasites that attach to their host for many days to weeks, feeding to engorgement and continuing their species life cycle. The mechanisms behind the successful feeding and manipulation of host immune responses have been associated with the secretion of their specialized saliva. Tick saliva includes a variety of modulatory molecules that must disrupt and counteract defense mechanisms, including a variety of proteases. Reprolysin Metalloproteases, in the Zn²⁺ dependent family, is secreted as a proenzyme and is shown to have proteolytic activity, degrading fibrinogen and gelatinase activity, as well as disturbing homeostasis¹². Previous work with …

Analyses Of Indices Of Abundance For Important Groundfish Species In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico From 1987-2009, Relative To Shrimp Bycatch; With Age And Growth Of Three Sciaenid Species, Allison Renee Odom

Master's Theses

Bycatch in the shrimp fishery became of particular concern in the 1980s during the peak of shrimp harvest in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Shrimp bycatch is of major importance because the majority of catch in the fishery is not intended target species of commercial shrimp, and most of the additional bycatch is returned to the sea dead or dying, inducing higher rates of mortality. This study was developed to assess the potential ecosystem effects of shrimp harvest on thirty selected species/species groups commonly encountered within the shrimp fishery as bycatch. Delta-lognormal modeling (DLM) was used to determine the relative …

Taxonomy, Systematics, And Host Associations Of Cestodes Of Triakid Sharks, James Bernot

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Correction Of Precursor And Product Ion Relative Abundances To Standardize Cid Spectra And Improve Ecom50 Accuracy For Non-Targeted Metabolomics, Ritvik Dubey

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Hydrologic Changes During The Middle Miocene In Southwestern Montana Using Molecular Biomarkers Of Leaf Waxes, Jaclyn G. White

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

A Time Series Investigation Of The Cryptic Copepods Pseudocalanus Spp. On The Nw Atlantic Continental Shelf, Kayla Erikson

Master's Theses

Zooplankton occupy pivotal positions in pelagic ecosystems and have direct impacts on trophic dynamics on continental shelves. Time-series records of zooplankton species diversity, distribution, and abundance are needed to understand, document, and predict impacts of environmental conditions on pelagic ecosystems. This study focuses on species of the calanoid copepod genus Pseudocalanus on the NW Atlantic continental shelf. Time-series analysis was conducted on the distribution and abundance of Pseudocalanus spp. and of two co-occuring cryptic species from 1977-2012 and 1995-2012 respectively, based on data from Ecosystem Monitoring (EcoMon) surveys by the NOAA-NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the US GLOBal Ocean …

Efficiency Of Piezotome-Corticision Assisted Orthodontics In Alleviating Mandibular Anterior Crowding - A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial, Leyla R. Davoody

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Comparision Of Root Resorption, Microbial Colonization And Periodontal Status Between Clear Aligners, Self Ligating Brackets And Conventional Brackets - A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial., Sachin Agarwal

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Astrocytic Expansion In A Model Of Neurofibromatosis 1 (Nf1) Deficiency, Joel Rosiene

Master's Theses

Neurofibramatosis type 1 is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the development of both benign and malignant neoplasms of glial origin, as well as learning deficits and, less frequently, macrocephaly. Essential to the understanding of NF1 is the observation that the peripheral neoplasms (neurofibroma) which develop are composed primarily of NF1 negative glia which have undergone a loss of NF1 heterozygosity. The etiology of this loss of heterozygosity remains unclear, but a better characterization of these mutation events would provide insight into the cellular origins of the NF1 phenotype. CRISPR/Cas9 systems for genome editing have been, since 2013, a significant …

Tissue Characterization Using Optical Coherence Tomography, Mina Mahdian

Master's Theses

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging modality, which provides real-time near-histology resolution images. In dentistry, OCT has been used for early detection of carious lesions, malignant changes in the oral tissues and other indications. However, to the best of our knowledge there is no information regarding the ability of this imaging modality in differentiating between different types of tissues in the oral cavity. If OCT proves to be able to render information regarding the properties of tissues, it can be used to detect pathological changes at an early stage, which results in better treatment outcomes. In this study, …

Design And Synthesis Of New Inhibitors For Dna Methyltransferase, Haidong Feng

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Degradation And Removal Of Porphyromonas Gingivalis Lipid 654 By Common Endodontic Intracanal Irrigants And Medicaments, Michelle A. Hack

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Adsorption Selectivity Of Cations In Constrained Environments, Maria Oba

Master's Theses

The adsorption selectivity of Cs⁺, K⁺, and Na⁺ cations on a ZSM-5 zeolite was studied by collecting the adsorption envelopes and analyzing the data with adsorption modeling. The adsorption of alkali metals increased on ZSM-5 with high aluminum content and the adsorption sites were mainly controlled by aluminum adsorption sites. Four adsorption sites were observed from these adsorption envelopes. The data were described using an ion-exchange model with four reaction sites. The adsorption cations had a selectivity sequence of Cs⁺ > K⁺ > Na⁺ for inner-sphere complexes. The adsorption strength of each cation had …

A Soil Additive To Reduce Runoff And Pollutants From Dairy Heavy Use Areas, Alexander J. Pivarnik

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Biofilm Accumulation And Immune Response During Experimental Peri-Implant Mucositis., Amy Rosania

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Anaerobically Digested Dairy Fiber As A Substitute For Peat In Container Production And Nutrient Availability From Organic Fertilizers And Amendments, John R. Lamont

Master's Theses

The purpose of this research was to investigate alternative, renewable materials for potted plant production.

Sphagnum peat moss has been a primary component of soilless potting media for decades. Concerns over the sustainability of harvesting peat have fostered a search for renewable media components. Anaerobically digested dairy fiber (ADDF), a byproduct of methane production, shows promise as an alternative to peat. A variety of representative floriculture and nursery crops were grown in a numerous ADDF-containing media to evaluate its suitability as a substrate component. Nutrient leaching was monitored to evaluate the potential for environmental impact of using ADDF. Physical properties …