Digital Commons Network^™

Predictive Modeling In The Search For Vertebrate Fossils: Geographic Object Based Image Analysis (Geobia) In The Eocene Of Wyoming, Bryan Bommersbach

Masters Theses

The development and testing of predictive models for identifying productive fossil localities represents a promising interdisciplinary endeavor among geographic information scientists, paleoanthropologists, and vertebrate paleontologists. This thesis analyzed high resolution (2m spatial resolution) commercial satellite imagery from the Worldview-2 satellite of five areas of the Great Divide Basin using a GEographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) technique, which segments the image into spectrally homogeneous, multi-pixel image objects. In addition to allowing statistical analysis of the spectral characteristics of the image objects, GEOBIA techniques also let analysts incorporate expert knowledge and contextual information to improve classification accuracy. The spectral characteristics of the …

Combined Effects Of Mdma And Ethanol On Locomotor Activity And Place Conditioning In Male And Female Adolescent Sprague-Dawley Rats, Keli A. Herr

Masters Theses

MDMA, ("Ecstasy") is commonly abused in combination with ethanol (EtOH). Relatively few preclinical studies have investigated sex differences in animal models of polysubstance use. The current study employed a conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure to assess the behavioral effects of the co-administration ofMDMA /EtOH in 32 male and 32 female adolescent Sprague-Dawley rats. Following a 15 min habituation trial, eight 30-min conditioning trials were conducted in two- compartment chambers with different environmental cues. Before each drug conditioning trials, rats were administered intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of MDMA(6.6 mg/kg), EtOH (1.5 g/kg), MDMA (6.6 mg/kg) and EtOH (1.5 g/kg), or saline. Prior …

Idealism And Pragmatism In The Rhetoric Of John Boehner: A Weaverian Analysis Of Congressional Discourse, Cody Hawley

Masters Theses

American political rhetoric is characterized by a synthesis of contradictory idealistic and pragmatic elements, both of which are necessary if there is to be convincing persuasion. The way in which politicians rhetorically approach this dichotomy is significant, however, current studies on the topic are limited to presidential discourse. There is little research on this topic in other settings such the United States House of Representatives. This criticism analyzes John Boehner's congressional rhetoric in the idealistic-pragmatic dichotomy. The critical method utilized is Richard Weaver's four forms of argument-genus, similitude, consequence, and circumstance. Eight speeches of John Boehner, four from his position …

Owning Our Food System: Urban Community Gardening And Local Food Movements, Paige A. Edwards

Masters Theses

Food is a means of examining culture, including identity, autonomy and power. It creates relationships and memories between people via shared connections. Through food, I explore local food movements and urban community gardening.

We both ingest and produce garden-grown foods. This movement is often described as simple nostalgia. I suggest that it is a response against heavily processed foods within a system reliant on mass produced food. This desire for ownership pushes community gardens and other counter-hegemonic spaces forward in their goals of using social practice to challenge the established food industry and take control within their own lives.

Investigation Of The Definitive Age Of Freshwater Decapod Crustaceans, Orconectes Propinquus And Procambarus Clarkii, Via Growth Bands In The Calcified Regions Of The Eyestalk And Gastric Mill, Jayson L. Clore

Masters Theses

A preliminary study that utilized the calcified regions of the eyestalks and gastric mills of decapod crustaceans for chronological age determination. The procedure is based on the traditional method for growth analysis of concentric growth bands in otoliths, shells, and genital plates. Transverse cross sections of the eyestalks and prepyloric, pyloric, and zygocardiac ossicles of the gastric mills of Orconectes propinquus and Procambarus clarkii crayfish showed the presence of alternating dark and light growth bands. These growth bands were recorded as a finer secondary series of growth bands found within the broader primary growth bands. Size modal comparisons showed that …

Scientism, Satire, And Sacrificial Ceremony In Dostoevsky's "Notes From Underground" And C.S. Lewis's "That Hideous Strength", Jonathan Smalt

Masters Theses

Though the nineteenth-century Victorian belief that science alone could provide utopia for man weakened in the epistemological uncertainty of the postmodern era, this belief still continues today. In order to understand our current scientific milieu--and the dangers of propagating scientism--we must first trace the rise of scientism in the nineteenth-century. Though removed, Fyodor Dostoevsky, in Notes From Underground (1864), and C.S. Lewis, in That Hideous Strength (1965), are united in their critiques of scientism as a conceptual framework for human residency. For Dostoevsky, the Crystal Palace of London's Great Exhibition (1862) embodied the nineteenth-century goal to found utopia through the …

“Why Do You Sing To Me?”: A Case Study Of Form And Function Of Children's Songs In The Caribbean Diaspora Culture In South Florida, Finley Walker

Masters Theses

How does a child gain a musical identity? Music resides in the depths of personhood. Even before birth we are all touched by its power. Music is a language in that it communicates--thoughts, feelings, desires, information, and more. As children grow physically and mentally, they also grow musically. A person's musical development will be directly influenced by their culture and family. The following qualitative study looks at the form and function of children's songs, specifically children's songs from the diasporic Caribbean culture in South Florida. Twenty-one interviews, including 53 participants, were conducted to see how children's songs might play a …

Gaines's Preachers And Their People: Personalism, Community, And Social Action In A Lesson Before Dying, In My Father's House, And A Gathering Of Old Men, Brooke Light

Masters Theses

Personalist theology, along with Ernest J. Gaines's fiction, resists the idea of isolation and instead highlights the importance of the communal good, criticizing social and religious institutions that fail to uphold the value of human dignity and community. In "Personalism and Traditional Afrikan Thought," Burrow argues that "the church exists for the person and not the other way around" (347) and that churches should be judged and evaluated on the extent to which they meet the needs of the community. Representing their churches, the preachers in three of Gaines's novels (A Lesson Before Dying, In My Father's House, and A …

Victorian Domesticity And The Perpetuation Of Childhood: An Examination Of Gender Roles And The Family Unit In J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan, Abigail Nusbaum

Masters Theses

This work examines JM Barrie's Peter Pan in light of its cultural context. It works to show how the Victorian ideology of the separate spheres narrowed the scope of roles for men and women within the home, which ultimately led to an obsession with childhood that manifested itself strongly in the works of the children of the Victorians, the Edwardians. A study of the Victorian society in which Barrie grew up and first imagined Peter Pan, accompanied by a close reading of the text, reveals Barrie using the various characters' interactions with the title character as cultural artifacts that illuminate …

Vaccinia Virus Flll Mediated Expedition Of Tanapoxvirus Replication In Cell Culture, Yih Wen Goh

Masters Theses

Tanapoxvirus (TPV) produces large but slow-forming plaques as opposed to vaccinia virus (VACV) that forms similar large plaques but more rapidly. A number of genes were identified in VACV, inclucding FllL, A33R, A34R and A36R that contribute to the regulation of virus release and dissemination, and are particularly responsible for the induction of actin tails. Among them, TPV lacks homologs of the FllL and A36R genes. F11Lmediated inhibition of RhoA-mDia signaling was shown to enhance the microtubules dynamics and modulates the cortical actin that assisted in the release of progeny virus from infected cells. To understand the possible effects of …

Managing Dispersed Recreation In The Allegheny National Forest, Anne Santa Maria

Masters Theses

In the Allegheny National Forest, an unregulated dispersed camping policy has led to significant impacts to the natural environment. This study used data gathered from visitor surveys, interviews with managers, and environmental conditions of campsites to recommend management actions for campsites along seven roads in the National Forest. The seven road areas fell into two categories. Primitive recreation was more common in some areas and solitude was more highly valued by campers. Other areas had more frequent visitor use, motorized camping, and solitude was less important to campers. These factors influenced management recommendations, which include designing and constructing campsites to …

Student Success And Service-Learning: Exploring The Relationship At A Two-Year Public Institution, Leah Renee Kicinski

Masters Theses

This exploratory study examines the relationship between service-learning and student success at a two-year community college in the urban Midwest. Students who participated in service-learning during the 2010-2011 academic year were identified by institutional research and planning (n=788); additionally, students completed a survey regarding service experiences and learning outcomes (n=280). The data suggest that student success appears to be related to service-learning; 76% of subjects who participated in service-learning met a success indicator compared to 62% of students who were enrolled 2011-2012. Additionally, students reported learning communication, critical thinking, diversity, interpersonal, and personal skills as a result of their participation.

Unreconciled Contradictions: Autonomy, Ideology, And The Possibility Of Progress In Tillie Olsen's "Tell Me A Riddle", Rachel Leigh Curtis

Masters Theses

Tillie Olsen's most piercing and poignant text, "Tell Me a Riddle," depicts inescapable circumstances as thwarting all avenues of meaningful pursuit for Eva, its aging protagonist. Throughout her work and philosophy, Olsen continually emphasized the power of external constraints, and in this lies her powerful legacy. Her texts outline tragic realities, drawing attention to those on the fringe of society. Regardless of successes and opportunities, she considered herself similarly stifled and downtrodden. In "Tell Me a Riddle," she framed Eva's plight in a way that resembles her own perception of herself, but despite her identification with Eva, her situation differed …

Microglia Respond To Both Permanent And Temporary Deaferentation In The Adult Zebrafish Olfactory Bulb, Amanda K. Mckenna

Masters Theses

The major goal of this study was to investigate a microglial response following deafferentation in the adult zebrafish, Danio rerio, olfactory bulb. Microglia were identified in the olfactory bulb using the 4c4 antibody and phagocytic-dependent labeling (DiA). Microglia responded to both methods of deafferentation namely, permanent (cautery) and temporary (Triton X- 100). On one and three days following both permanent and temporary deafferentation there was a significant increase in microglia in the treated olfactory bulb. At five and seven days after permanent and temporary deafferentation there was no longer a significant difference between the treated and untreated olfactory bulbs, …

Tunes, Textures, And Trends: The Transformation Of Johann Walther’S Geistliches Gesangbüchlein (1524, 1525, 1537, 1544, 1551), Emily Marie Solomon

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the contents of Geistliches Gesangbüchlein, a sixteenth-­‐‑ century German Lutheran hymnal by Johann Walther, published in five editions between 1524 and 1551, the contents of which were substantially augmented, particularly between the 1525 and 1537 editions. Specifically, this project focuses on the twelve hymns with multiple settings, one or more of which were published in the first two editions and replaced by one or more settings in the last three editions, while assessing the characteristics across the original and removed settings and noting discernable trends of revision employed by Walther. Observable revision trends include length increase …

Transport And Catabolism Of Inositol Isomers In Sinorhizobium Meliloti, Ee Leng Choong

Masters Theses

The nitrogen fixing symbiont of alfalfa, Sinorhizobium meliloti, is able to use inositols as the sole carbon source. In this thesis, the role of two genetic loci in S. meliloti was investigated; the first is involved in the transport of inositols and the second genetic locus is essential for the catabolism of D-chiro-inositol stereoisomers. The S. meliloti ibpA gene had been earlier described as playing a role in inositol transport, but this study identified the SMb20072 gene product, called IbpB, as a second periplasmic binding protein involved in inositol transport. A single ibpB mutant and a double …

Design Of A Portable Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry System For Measuring Neurotransmitter Levels, Jayson Foster

Masters Theses

The goal of this project is to design, build, and validate a more economic portable Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry (FSCV) device to measure the concentration of neurotransmitters like dopamine. The device will allow educational demonstrations in classrooms and allow researchers to gather data without the financial burden of a full cost system. The device is created on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) that interfaces with a standard computer through MATLAB. This allows data collected on the PCB to be accessible to the user to display and analyze at will, all while maintaining the system’s portability and low cost. The device …

In Their Own Words: Healing From Traumatic Childbirth, Jennifer L. Brammer

Masters Theses

Trauma related to childbirth is seldom addressed despite the incidence of women who experience traumatic births. Birth trauma, like other traumatic events, can have a lasting impact on women and can effect their attachment to their infants. This study gives voice to women's birth trauma and describes what women find helpful in their healing processes from traumatic birth. This study is based on the narratives of 14 women who graciously shared their birth stories and healing journeys in semi-structured qualitative interviews. Their traumatic birth experiences occurred 3 ½ to 26 years ago.

A post-positivist approach and narrative theory informed this …

"Does This Thesis Make My Behind Look Big?" A Master's Thesis Using Qualitative Research To Examine Clothing As A Communication Tool, Lynne Forth

Masters Theses

The purpose of this narrative research study is to discover and understand what and how clothing communicates by using carefully selected individuals as studied in their natural environment. The study utilized Geert Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions Theory, which is based on in-depth research and analysis of cultures across the globe and what aspects define each culture. In order to understand clothing as a communication tool, the researcher interviewed participants from both American and Dutch cultures. Many books, articles and the above mentioned interviews were utilized to gain a more in-depth understanding of clothing as a form of communicating and how this …

Social Media In Sports: A Phenomenological Study Of Athletes And Online Communication, Garrett Bireline

Masters Theses

This study investigates the intersection where the shared experience of sports meets the shared experience of social media. Empirically quantitative literature and data regarding social media has been well-documented from the perspective of understanding macro-level trends (Duggan & Brenner, 2012; Lenhart, et al., 2010). However, few to no studies have sought to learn the views, feelings, and experiences of unique populations from the micro, individual level. This method of research threatens to silence the voice of the individuals of select populations, and offers no hope of their ever being heard. Specifically, this study seeks to understand how collegiate athletes at …

Acute Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Alters Vascular Reactivity Independent Of Atp, William Cole Waggener Iv

Masters Theses

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO), breathing 100 percent oxygen at greater than one atmosphere, has been prescribed for many different medical reasons. The mechanism for HBO, however, is not entirely understood. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the main energy carrier molecule in the body and its production requires oxygen. By increasing the amount of oxygen carried by the blood, the amount of ATP could also increase. This possible mechanism for HBO was tested using the addition of exogenous ATP on approximately five millimeter wide rings of fresh porcine gut arteries. The vascular rings were attached to a force transducer which measured the …

The Relationship Between Maternal Child Feeding Practices And Child’S Bmi And Child’S Dietary Restraint In Mexican-American Families Of Grand Rapids, Mi., Larissa E. Fluegel

Masters Theses

Background. Research in Caucasian girls has shown a relationship between mother’s restrictive feeding practices and girls’ eating in absence of hunger and greater body mass index (BMI). Hispanic children disproportionately suffer from obesity, yet there are limited studies on this relationship.

Purpose. This study sought to examine the relationship between maternal feeding practices (MFP) and child BMI (BMI_ch); and to explore the effect of demographics and culture on the latter. The hypothesis that BMI_ch is positively correlated with dietary restriction and monitoring and negatively correlated with pressure to eat was tested.

Subjects. First or second-generation Mexican-American women …

The Effect Of Drying On Desiccation Tolerance And Late Embryogenesis Abundant Protein Gene Expression In Immature Seeds Of Phalaenopsis Amabilis, Huijing Zhu

Masters Theses

Orchidaceae as the most diverse family of flowering plants are endangered due to losing habitats or destruction of their unique symbiotic living style. Long-term seed storage banks can be a solution for threatened plant species but the stored seeds must tolerate extreme drying and cold. This ability is acquired during the last stage (maturation drying) of seed development and is correlated with a decline in water content and expression of the Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) protein genes. Our goal is to investigate if premature orchid seeds can be artificially induced to become desiccation tolerant and the potential role of LEA …

Evaluating The Success Of Wetland Mitigation In West Michigan: A Macroinvertibrate-Based Approach, James N. Neal

Masters Theses

Michigan’s wetlands, and their invaluable natural services, were declining at an alarming rate; therefore, the process of wetland mitigation was introduced in 1979 to offset this loss. From 2003-2006, a series of mitigated wetlands were installed to compensate for the wetlands removed during the construction of the M-6 highway south of Grand Rapids, MI. The objectives of my research were to determine whether these man-made wetlands function similarly to natural wetlands in terms of biological integrity, further develop methods for a macroinvertebrate-based index of biological integrity for inland wetlands, and provide pragmatic suggestions for wetland mitigation practices. Macroinvertebrate, plant, and …

How Women Became Priests In Ireland: The Development Of Women’S Ordination In The Church Of Ireland, Meagan Farrell Howe

Masters Theses

30 years ago, the Church of Ireland allowed women’s ordination as deacons, then later priests and bishops. Leading to this doctrinal and social development, the Church of Ireland wrestled with big questions on the nature of Christian ministry and women’s roles in the church. Have the Bible and church tradition always upheld male headship? Are women being called by God to serve as deacons, priests and bishops? Can groups with major theological differences reconcile and remain one church? The author introduces this historic Irish development to a United States audience with relevant lessons for social transformation, following the human drama …

Energy Tradeoffs Between Food Assimilation, Growth, Metabolism And Maintenance, Lihong Jiao

Masters Theses

"The effect of metabolic rate (MR) on organisms' health maintenance is a long-standing puzzle and empirical data on this issue is contradictory. A theoretical model was developed for understanding animal's energy budget under the food condition of Ad libitum (AL) and food restriction. This model offers a framework for understanding the role of MR and health maintenance mechanism from the perspective of energy tradeoff between food assimilation, growth, metabolism and maintenance. Hornworm (Manduca sexta larva) has been selected as an model to test the energetic tradeoff under different food supply and ambient temperatures. The changes in energy budget can …

Do Artificial Riffles Enhance Nutrient Retention In Restored Streams?, Adam Thomas Hughes

Masters Theses

Kickapoo Creek, a tributary of the Embarrass River in Central Illinois, has undergone a stream restoration that included the construction of two artificial riffles. These structures were designed to slow flood waters, increase channel and substrate stability, and increase habitat heterogeneity in a stream impacted by erosion and sediment deposition. They may also provide stable substrates that affect the algal community, leading to shifts in algal community composition, increases in the biomass of primary producers, and subsequent increases in nutrient retention. I explored the effects of the restoration on instream nutrient retention by measuring and comparing phosphate uptake lengths, velocities, …

Habitat Associations Of Larval And Juvenile Fishes In A Large Unimpounded River, Sharon V. Rayford

Masters Theses

Larval and juvenile life stages of fish are numerically the dominant component of fish populations. These early life stages experience high levels of mortality due, in part, to anthropogenic disturbances, but little is known about which habitats they utilize in large-rivers, as they are often difficult to sample and identify. My study examined the larval and juvenile fish assemblages in different habitats within the lower 322 km of the Wabash River. Fish were sampled with a conical-cylindrical ichthyoplankton net (larvae) and a DC-electrified mini-Missouri trawl (juveniles) between May and October 2013. Larval fish were collected every two weeks from mid-May …

Significance Of Gateway Requirements To Student Success: A Mixed Methods Approach, Ashley Rashaun Bell

Masters Theses

This study was constructed to examine Gateway's students' perceptions of the program's "extra requirements" to their success. Participants were 48 students who were successfully released from the Gateway program in the spring of 2011 and 2012 semesters. The researcher completed a mixed methods approach to receive a more in depth understanding of students' perceptions. Results suggested that students' overall perception of the Gateway program was positive, with students perceiving the program itself as the most significant to their success. Participants also viewed the program's weekly advisor meetings and study table requirements as significant to their success. Many participants cited the …

Help-Seeking Attitudes In India: The Role Of Religion, Intergroup Anxiety, Collective Self-Esteem, & Emotional Intelligence, Ashlee M. Beck

Masters Theses

The present study examined religious differences in help-seeking attitudes, intergroup anxiety, collective self-esteem, and emotional intelligence in Hindus and non-Hindus in India. Data were collected from 55 participants, who were predominantly students at either University of Mumbai or St. John's College Agra. Of these participants, 38 were Hindu and 17 were non-Hindu. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Inventory of Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Services, the Intergroup Anxiety Scale, the Collective Self-Esteem Scale, and the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test. Statistical analyses were computed using t tests for independent means, correlational analyses, and descriptive statistics. The results of these …