Digital Commons Network^™

Being With Bees: An Anthropological Study On Human-Animal Relations In Southern Beekeeping, Kori Nadine Armstrong

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the complex and dynamic communicative relationship between beekeepers and their managed honey bee colonies, providing insight into the relationship between bees, their stewards, and the interface between nature and culture. It also helps unravel the ways in which this interspecies relationship changes a beekeepers’ perception of what it means to be human. Data collection features extensive participant observation with 21 semi-structured interviews with Southern beekeepers.

The interrelationship between communication and interaction, as well as diverse ways in which messages and cues manifest in the bee yard are explored through olfactory, optical, touch, and mechanical modalities. Variables including …

Establishing A Link Between Personality And Social Rank In A Group Of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus), Erin Elizabeth Frick

Master's Theses

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) have been documented to possess personality traits that remain consistent over time (Highfill & Kuczaj, 2007) and across contexts (Kuczaj, Highfill, & Byerly, 2012). Such individual differences are thought to play an important role in various social contexts such as hierarchical dominance (Highfill & Kuczaj, 2010). The present study investigated the relationship between personality and social rank within a captive group of bottlenose dolphins housed at the Roatan Institute for Marine Science (RIMS). Social rank was established using questionnaires distributed to the RIMS experienced staff. Personality traits were derived from behavioral coding using context-specific …

Choros N. 10 By Heitor Villa-Lobos: Analyzing The Themes And Compositional Techniques Of Brazilian Modernism, Andre Oliveira Campos-Neto

Master's Theses

Heitor Villa-Lobos (b. March 5, 1887 - d. November 17, 1959) can be considered the most important composer in Brazilian music history. Although the composer is listed as one of the most influential composers in the history of the guitar, he reached his peak in his works for piano and symphonic groups. Works such as A Prole do Bebê (1 and 2), and the series of Chôros, came out during an extremely convoluted time, where Brazilian artists engaged in seeking an artistic representation of a unique Brazilian identity. Those works not only satisfied the hunger, but pushed the movement …

An Assessment Of Number Representation In The Small-Eared Bushbaby (Otolemur Garnettii), Tiffany Aycia Woodard Baker

Master's Theses

In an effort to explain the underlying mechanisms of number representation, both the object-file and the approximate number system have been proposed. Despite the recognition in animals, both nonhuman and human, it remains unclear how numbers are represented cognitively or what system is employed. Furthermore, primate numerosity research has been almost exclusively conducted within haplorhine species (monkeys and apes). Within the strepsirhines (lemurs, lorises, and galagos), it has only been investigated in 15 diurnal and cathermal Malagasy primate species. No study to date has looked at this ability in either African strepsirhines or nocturnal primates. To examine the extent of …

Development Of Genomic Resources For The Evaluation Of Red Snapper, An Emerging Species Candidate For Marine Aquaculture And Stock Enhancement, Adrienne Elise Norrell

Master's Theses

The northern red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is a highly targeted reef fish candidate for marine aquaculture and stock enhancement in the southern United States. This work aimed to develop genomic resources for the genetic management of aquaculture programs and to investigate population structure using high-throughput sequencing technologies. Eighty-four new microsatellite markers were developed through screening of Illumina paired-end sequencing reads. Microsatellite loci and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) generated through Restriction Site Associated DNA (RAD) sequencing were assayed in 5 outbred full-sib families to construct a high-density linkage map of the red snapper genome. The map consists of 7,964 …

Krylov Subspace Spectral Method With Multigrid For A Time-Dependent, Variable-Coefficient Partial Differential Equation, Haley Renee Dozier

Master's Theses

Krylov Subspace Spectral (KSS) methods are traditionally used to solve time-dependent, variable-coefficient PDEs. They are high-order accurate, component-wise methods that are efficient with variable input sizes.

This thesis will demonstrate how one can make KSS methods even more efficient by using a Multigrid-like approach for low-frequency components. The essential ingredients of Multigrid, such as restriction, residual correction, and prolongation, are adapted to the timedependent case. Then a comparison of KSS, KSS with Multigrid, KSS-EPI and standard Krylov projection methods will be demonstrated.

Community Structure And Production Of The Macrobenthos On Four Artificial Reefs In The Mississippi Sound In Relation To Substrate And Profile Type, Patrick Daniel Gillam

Master's Theses

In recent years, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (DMR) has made a concerted effort to enhance its coastal fishery resources by creating artificial reefs. Through this effort, 73 nearshore reefs have been created across the MS coast. Different substrate types used to construct MS artificial reefs include oyster shell and cement rubble. Two types of reef architecture used include high profile breakwater and low profile submerged structures. This study compared the benthic biota associated with oyster shell and cement rubble substrates among four artificial reefs representing high and low profile structures in summer 2011. Colonized benthic biota were quantified …

Shaken, Not Stirred: Espionage, Fantasy, And British Masculinity During The Cold War, Anna Rikki Nelson

Master's Theses

This project seeks to define and explore the development of Cold War British masculinity and national identity in response to decolonization. Following World War II, Great Britain experienced a time of political and cultural rebuilding. This project argues that following World War II, Britain had to renegotiate gender and national identity within the context of decolonization, the rise of the welfare state, and Britain’s diminished role in global politics, and the tensions within gender and national identity were expressed in Britain’s interest in espionage narratives both real and fictionalized. British spy novels by Ian Fleming, Desmond Cory, and John Le …

The Effects Of Nicotine On Conditioning, Extinction, And Reinstatement In Humans Using A Virtual Reality Conditioned Place Preference Paradigm, Alexandra N. Palmisano

Master's Theses

Despite an abundance of evidence illustrating the harmful effects of nicotine use, only a small percentage of users successfully quit (Messer et al., 2008). Moreover, current treatments for nicotine cessation produce only a slight increase in the likelihood of successfully quitting, which emphasizes the need for more effective strategies that facilitate smoking cessation (Hopkins et al., 2001). Several studies suggest that difficulty in controlling nicotine use behaviors results from nicotine’s ability to enhance the motivating function of cues associated with obtaining rewards. These studies indicate that it is of value to understand the behavioral and neuropharmacological mechanisms by which nicotine …

Information Processing In The Hippocampus And The Medial Prefrontal Cortex During Hippocampal Dependent And Independent Task: An Lfp Analysis, Jinah Yoon 4863671

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Supporting Emerging Multilingual Newcomer Students And Their Teachers In California Public High Schools, Rosa Lea V. Ojeda

Master's Theses

This study focuses supporting emerging multilingual newcomer students and their teachers. The study examines research regarding deficit mindset that has led to student labels that perpetuate negative school and teacher views of culturally and linguistically diverse students. Additional research used for this study includes studies on what has been determined to benefit emerging multilingual students, as well as studies about the role of globalization and politics in the education of emerging multilingual and other culturally and linguistically diverse students. The study seeks to further the research on what changes in practice and mindset need to take place in the system …

Location Inference Of Social Media Posts At Hyper-Local Scale, Brian D. Mcclanahan

Master's Theses

This paper describes an approach to infer the location of a social media post at a hyper-local scale based on its content, conditional to the knowledge that the post originates from a larger area such as a city or even a state. The approach comprises three components: (i) a discriminative classifier, namely, Logistic Regression (LR) which selects from a set of most probable sub-regions from where 1 a post might have originated; (ii) a clustering technique, namely, k-means, that adaptively partitions the larger geographic region into sub-regions based on the density of the posts; and (iii) a range of techniques …

The Influence Of The Quality Of Radiographs And Training On The Reproducibility Of The Cervical Vertebrae Maturation Method, Anfal Khajah

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Biomarkers Of Orthodontic Tooth Movement With Fixed Appliances And Vibration Device: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Marie-Claude Chouinard

Master's Theses

Biomarkers of orthodontic tooth movement with fixed appliances and vibration device: A randomized clinical trial

Marie-Claude Chouinard D.M.D.

ABSTRACT

Background: On average, comprehensive orthodontic treatments last approximately 21-27 months in non-extraction cases and 25-35 months when teeth elected for extraction. Longer treatment times have been associated with multiple detrimental effects such as white spot lesions, root resorption, gingival inflammation and dental caries. Recently, some evidence has shown that the application of mechanical vibration to the dentition can increase the rate of tooth movement. However, the biological mechanism underlying this effect is not clearly understood. The aims of this study were …

A Minor Necessity: Minor Splicing Is Required In Murine Limb Development, Christopher D. Lemoine

Master's Theses

Microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type-1 (MODI) is a rare congenital developmental disorder resulting in patients presenting with microcephaly, limb abnormalities, and growth retardation. This disease, along with the related Roifman Syndrome, results from mutations to the gene RNU4atac. This gene encodes for the U4atac small nuclear RNA (snRNA) which, along with four other snRNAs (U11, U12, U5, and U6atac) compose the small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) complex called the minor spliceosome. Responsible for the excision of a subpopulation of introns (called minor introns), the minor spliceosome is known to play an essential role in eukaryotic limb development. However, while mutations in …

Whisk: Web Hosted Information Into Summarized Knowledge, Jiewen Wu

Master's Theses

Today’s online content increases at an alarmingly rate which exceeds users’ ability to consume such content. Modern search techniques allow users to enter keyword queries to find content they wish to see. However, such techniques break down when users freely browse the internet without knowing exactly what they want. Users may have to invest an unnecessarily long time reading content to see if they are interested in it. Automatic text summarization helps relieve this problem by creating synopses that significantly reduce the text while preserving the key points. Steffen Lyngbaek created the SPORK summarization pipeline to solve the content overload …

Serine Dipeptide Lipid And Prostaglandin E2 Recovery In Pulps And Tooth Apices: Relationship To Pulpal Status, Aniuska Tobin

Master's Theses

Introduction: Apical periodontitis is characterized by inflammation and destruction of the periapical tissues that is primarily caused by polymicrobial infection of the pulp, which is dominated by Gram-negative species. Gram-negative bacteria have different virulence factors, e.g. cell wall endotoxin and serine lipids, which are toxic to the periapical tissues leading to activation of the host immune response and inflammatory reaction. Porphyromonas endodontalis (P.endodontalis), a Gram-negative bacterium, has been shown to populate necrotic root canal systems and may contribute to apical bone loss. Moreover, it is shown to synthesize novel serine dipeptide lipid classes (Lipid 654 and Lipid 430). Lipid 654 …

Influence Of Teeth Preparation And Obturation Material On Endodontically Treated Teeth, Yousef Redhai

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The "Creative Workspace": A Comparative Analysis Of Stakeholder Perceptions, Augustina Radziunaite

Master's Theses

The rise of information technologies and creative industries formed a new class of “creative knowledge workers” with special needs for a workspace design. The recent tendency of playful and bold workspace designs for creative industries was labeled by some researchers as a “creative workspace,” but a body of knowledge about design strategies supporting “creative knowledge workers’” performance is still limited.

This master’s thesis research attempts to define “creative workspace” design phenomenon based on the three main stakeholder groups’ perceptions. The research analyzes existing literature and conducts in-depth interviews with designers and users to collect the data and compare the findings. …

An Electrolytic Method For Tartrate Stabilization In Chardonnay Wine, Michael Vincent Chen

Master's Theses

Tartrate stabilization is the process that removes components that contribute to the crystallization of potassium hydrogen tartrate (KHT) and calcium tartrate (CaT) which is an undesirable outcome for wine quality. There are a variety of current tartrate stabilization techniques such as cold stabilization, chemical additives, ion exchange resins, and electrodialysis that stabilize wine, but the most popular being cold stabilization. Cold stabilization requires high amounts of energy and resources to stabilize wine. With the ever increasing demand for more efficient processing, an alternative tartrate stabilization technology based on an electrolytic method was developed and its viability to stabilize wine was …

The Effects Of A Uniformly Weighted Exercise Suit On Biomarkers Of Bone Turnover In Response To Aerobic Exercise In Postmenopausal Women With Low Bone Density, Haley Frances Terndrup, Alison K. Ventura, Todd Hagobian, Scott Hazelwood

Master's Theses

Current options for maintaining or slowing aging-related bone mineral density (BMD) loss in postmenopausal women primarily include pharmaceutical agents. More recently, physical activity and exercise have been suggested as highly effective, low cost alternatives. Weighted aerobic exercise, utilizing load carriage systems (LCS), is known to increase the gravitational forces impacting bone, creating a higher osteogenic stimulus than standard aerobic exercise. In response to the positive research on aerobic exercise with well-designed LCS, Dr. Lawrence Petrakis, MD, developed a unique 5.44 kg uniformly weighted exercise suit. This study aimed to examine the effects of the uniformly weighted exercise suit on serum …

Effects Of Extended Spaceflight On The Mandible And Incisor Teeth Of Mice, Didem Dagdeviren

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Interrelations Between Work Factors, Family And Work Health Climate, Work Schedule, And Individual Behaviors, Jennifer C. Buden

Master's Theses

Background: The rates of obesity in the United States continue to rise, particularly with disparities in high stress, low job control occupations such as corrections. Employers are in a unique position to improve employee health through development of Total Worker Health interventions that integrate worker safety and health promotion to improve employee health and well-being.²⁵ Understanding influences on health behaviors in the workplace such as social support, and work schedules as well as family environment, may aide in developing worksite preventive strategies with the anticipation of chronic disease reduction and weight management. Purpose: The purpose of these studies was …

The Prevalence And Severity Of Incidental Temporomandibular Joint Osteoarthritic Changes In Implant Patients: A Cone Beam Ct Study, Adel Alzahrani

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Anterior Mandibular Anatomy Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography: A Study Of Dentate And Edentulous Mandibles, Roberta A. Wright D.M.D.

Master's Theses

Statement of Problem: The anterior mandible has conventionally been deemed as a relatively “safe zone” for dental implants due to perceived lack of innervation to the area as well as its relatively thick cortices and dense bone. However, with the evolution of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), a number of anatomic challenges have been identified by clinicians that can lead to neuropathy and life-threatening hemorrhage if violated. The three critical anatomic structures in this area that pertain to implant placement are the sublingual artery (SLA), submental artery (SMA), and the mandibular incisive canal. Currently, there is a lack of knowledge …

A Clinical Trial To Investigate Digital Gingivitis Image Analysis Method And Examiner-Based Grading In Assessing Experimental Gingivitis, Liliana E. Aranguren

Master's Theses

A Clinical Trial to Investigate Digital Gingivitis Image Analysis Method and

Examiner-Based Grading in Assessing Experimental Gingivitis

Liliana Aranguren D.D.S

University of Connecticut, 2016

Objective: To compare a Digital Gingivitis Image Analysis (DGIA) method and examiner-based gingival grading in assessing experimental anterior gingivitis.

Methods: This was a single-center, examiner-blinded, parallel-group, randomized clinical trial. The study had 49 subjects and consisted of 2 phases: 2 weeks Oral Hygiene phase and 3 week induced gingivitis phase (days 0-21). During the hygiene phase, subjects received oral prophylaxis and used an electric toothbrush toothbrush. At day 0 of the Induced Gingivitis phase, 25 patients …

The Influence Of The Facial Pattern On Bone Density Pre And Post Orthodontic Treatment, Kristen M. Knecht

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Parents' Involvement In Their Preschoolers Public Education: Families Of Children With And Without Disabilities, Lauren E. Racine

Master's Theses

Abstract

Parent involvement in early childhood education benefits the parents, the teachers, and most importantly the child. Parent involvement is a concept that refers to the participation of parents in their child’s development and academic learning, and is centered on the fostering of relationships between the home environment and the school environment (Fantuzzo, Tighe, & Childs, 2000). Currently, little research has been done on parent involvement in early childhood (and even less focusing on children with disabilities, specifically), and this study aims to fill this gap in the literature. Thirty nine parents of children enrolled in a public preschool program, …

Incivility As A Communication Barrier: The Effects Of Incivility Experiences, Appraisals, And Context On Employees’ Constructive Voice Behavior, Kerri C. Nelson

Master's Theses

In today’s competitive environment, organizations and researchers alike are placing increasing emphasis on the role of communication and, more specifically, employee voice at work. However, much less is known about workplace mistreatment as an antecedent factor that might hinder this important workplace asset. The current research examined a specific antecedent factor, workplace incivility, and its effects on constructive voice and engagement using a transactional stress theory framework. Currently, no research has investigated the potential for a connection between incivility and constructive voice, limiting our current understanding of their relationship. In an initial study, psychological safety and appraisals of control were …

A Nac Domain Transcription Factor, Xvp, Regulates Vascular Patterning, Stem Cell Proliferation And Xylem Differentiation In Arabidopsis, Jung Hyun Yang

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.