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Motivation In Learners Of Japanese As A Foreign Language: An Analysis Of Profiles And Behaviors, Britainy Dawn Sorenson Jul 2009

Motivation In Learners Of Japanese As A Foreign Language: An Analysis Of Profiles And Behaviors, Britainy Dawn Sorenson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines motivation in English L1 learners of Japanese as a Foreign Language (JFL) by analyzing the students' responses to a questionnaire modeled after Dörnyei's research and an observational instrument called the Motivation Behaviors of Language Learning (MBLL) modeled after Guilloteaux and Dörnyei's (2008) research on motivational teaching strategies on behaviors. The data from the questionnaires were subjected to a discriminative analysis of students answers in relation to a high grade (receiving a B- or higher) or lower (C+ or lower) in their Japanese classes. A Factor Analysis of the data was also carried out. The discriminative results could …


Co-Occurrence With A Congeneric Species Predicts Life History And Morphological Diversification In The Mexican Livebearing Fish Poelicopsis Baenschi, Laura E. Scott Jul 2009

Co-Occurrence With A Congeneric Species Predicts Life History And Morphological Diversification In The Mexican Livebearing Fish Poelicopsis Baenschi, Laura E. Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding why some species coexist and others do not remains one of the fundamental challenges of ecology. While several lines of evidence suggest that closely related species are unlikely to occupy the same habitat because of competitive exclusion, there are many cases where closely related species do co-occur. Research comparing sympatric and allopatric populations of co-occurring species provides a framework to understand the role of phenotypic diversification in species coexistence. In this study I focus on the livebearing fish Poeciliopsis baenschi and ask if differences in phenotypic traits among populations can be explained by the presence or absence of the …


Sphingosine Kinase 1 Inhibitor, A Novel Inducer Of Autophagy, Daniel Meza Jul 2009

Sphingosine Kinase 1 Inhibitor, A Novel Inducer Of Autophagy, Daniel Meza

Theses and Dissertations

Autophagy is the process of “cell self-eating” which has been implicated both in cell survival and cell death. Sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) regulates the intracellular balance between ceramide and sphingosine, bioactive lipids associated with cell death, and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), whose actions are associated with survival and proliferation. Previous studies have implicated upregulation of SphK1 in the induction of autophagy. In this study, SK1-I, a SphK1 specific competitive inhibitor, induced autophagy in a concentration and time dependent manner in HCT116 colorectal carcinoma cells. This autophagic response was observed to be more intense in wild type p53 expressing HCT116 cells than in …


Time Course Of Vascular Function Changes Following An Acute Maximal Exercise Bout In Obese And Normal Weight Males, R. Lee Franco Jul 2009

Time Course Of Vascular Function Changes Following An Acute Maximal Exercise Bout In Obese And Normal Weight Males, R. Lee Franco

Theses and Dissertations

One of the earliest sub-clinical stages associated with atherosclerosis is endothelial dysfunction (ED), which has been shown to predict future cardiovascular events. Chronic exercise is thought to improve endothelium-dependent vasodilation; however, few studies have evaluated the effects of acute exercise on vascular function (VF). Moreover, studies evaluating ED following an exercise training program lack a standardized time frame in which to measure VF. Although most studies require subjects to abstain from exercise for 24 hours prior to any VF measure, no study to date has assessed VF longer than 24 hours after the cessation of exercise. Additionally, no studies have …


Literary Case Histories And Medical Narratives In Nineteenth-Century Britain, Travis Wade Austin Jul 2009

Literary Case Histories And Medical Narratives In Nineteenth-Century Britain, Travis Wade Austin

Theses and Dissertations

Literature and medicine are not usually seen as related disciplines, but scholars have already begun producing fruitful scholarship regarding historical and aesthetic interactions between them. This thesis adds to that scholarship by examining medicine and literature in nineteenth-century Britain. More specifically, Thomas De Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde both use nineteenth-century medical case conventions to tell their stories. Furthermore, because both works deal with addiction, divided selves, and the power that physical substances can have on morality and character, these two works provide an excellent comparison coming …


Learning English Through Interactive Weblogs: Student Experiences Blogging In The Secondary Esl Classroom, Glori H. Smith Jul 2009

Learning English Through Interactive Weblogs: Student Experiences Blogging In The Secondary Esl Classroom, Glori H. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative action research project examined the experiences of high school English language learners as they created personal weblogs and responded to queries on a class weblog. The data from the project demonstrates that blogging as a classroom writing activity is effective in helping students to obtain, process and construct the English language.


The Grass Seed Pathogen Pyrenophora Semeniperda As A Biocontrol Agent For Annual Brome Grasses, Thomas E. Stewart Jul 2009

The Grass Seed Pathogen Pyrenophora Semeniperda As A Biocontrol Agent For Annual Brome Grasses, Thomas E. Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

Bromus tectorum and other annual brome grasses have invaded many ecosystems of the western United States, and because of an annual-grass influenced alteration of the natural fire cycle on arid western range lands near monocultures are created and conditions in which the native vegetation cannot compete are established. Each year thousands of hectares become near monocultures of annual brome grasses. Pyrenophora semeniperda, a generalist seed pathogen of annual grasses, shows major potential as a possible mycoherbicide that could help in reducing the monocultures created by annual grasses. The purpose of this research was to identify the requirements for isolating …


Presence Of Haemosporidia And Flaviviruses In Breeding Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria Citrea): An Analysis Of Spatial And Temporal Trends In Infection Prevalence And Associations With Reproductive Success, Elena Grillo Jul 2009

Presence Of Haemosporidia And Flaviviruses In Breeding Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria Citrea): An Analysis Of Spatial And Temporal Trends In Infection Prevalence And Associations With Reproductive Success, Elena Grillo

Theses and Dissertations

As Neotropical migratory birds, Prothonotary Warblers are exposed to parasites in both tropical and temperate regions and may act as dispersal agents between geographic areas. This study identifies the prevalence of Haemosporidia, West Nile Virus (WNV), and St. Louis Encephalitis virus (SLEV) in this species. A total of 71.6% of captured Prothonotary Warblers were infected with Haemosporidia during the 2008 breeding season, and infection prevalence increased throughout the season. This temporal change in prevalence is likely due to infection relapse and transmission of new infections. No correlations between reproductive effort and infection status were observed, nor were any associations between …


Triptolide Is A Potential Therapeutic Agent For Alzheimer’S Disease, Matthew Allsbrook Jul 2009

Triptolide Is A Potential Therapeutic Agent For Alzheimer’S Disease, Matthew Allsbrook

Theses and Dissertations

Mounting evidence indicates an involvement of inflammation in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. While there are other mechanisms involved, it is this role of inflammatory processes that we wish to investigate. Triptolide is the major constituent in the Chinese herb, Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, and has been used for centuries as part of Chinese herbal medicine. The four ringed structure has close homology to drugs of the steroid class and it has been shown to be beneficial as an anti-inflammatory for rheumatoid arthritis and for treatment of certain cancers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential therapeutic …


Th2 Specific Immunity And Function Of Peripheral T-Cells Is Regulated By The P56lck Sh3 Domain, Margaret Mccoy Jul 2009

Th2 Specific Immunity And Function Of Peripheral T-Cells Is Regulated By The P56lck Sh3 Domain, Margaret Mccoy

Theses and Dissertations

Proper T-cell activation and effector function are essential for effective immunity. T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) signals are known to regulate the outcome of differentiation, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Recent work from our lab demonstrates that the Src family protein tyrosine kinase, p56Lck, is able to specifically link TCR signals to activation of the Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathway through the function of its SH3 domain. The MAPK pathway is known to be involved in T-cell activation downstream of TCR ligation and has previously been implicated in T-helper type 2 (Th2) effector function. We have utilized an Lck SH3 …


Tissue Engineering Cellularized Silk-Based Ligament Analogues, Scott Sell Jun 2009

Tissue Engineering Cellularized Silk-Based Ligament Analogues, Scott Sell

Theses and Dissertations

The resurgence, and eventual rise to prominence in the field of tissue engineering, that electrospinning has experienced over the last decade speaks to the simplicity and adaptability of the process. Electrospinning has been used for the fabrication of tissue engineering scaffolds intended for use in nearly every part of the human body: blood vessel, cartilage, bone, skin, nerve, connective tissue, etc. Diverse as the aforementioned tissues are in both form and function, electrospinning has found a niche in the repair of each due to its capacity to consistently create non-woven structures of fibers ranging from nano-to-micron size in diameter. These …


What Happens To Student Engagement And Understanding Of Chemistry When Cross-Curricular Activities And Assignments Are Used In An Honors Chemistry Class?, Heather L. Keller Jun 2009

What Happens To Student Engagement And Understanding Of Chemistry When Cross-Curricular Activities And Assignments Are Used In An Honors Chemistry Class?, Heather L. Keller

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this action research study was to determine if cross-curricular learning strategies could be used in a chemistry class to increase both student engagement and understanding of chemistry content. Two strategies were implemented in an honors chemistry course of sophomores and juniors. Participants were chosen on a voluntary basis, those students who chose not to participate still needed to complete the activities, however, their grades and responses were not included in the data. Participating students were required to complete a consent form and obtain parental permission. Students completed a creative writing activity and a kinesthetic activity in which …


Identification Of Apoptosis Pathway In Treacher Collins Syndrome, Khaled Alsayegh Jun 2009

Identification Of Apoptosis Pathway In Treacher Collins Syndrome, Khaled Alsayegh

Theses and Dissertations

Treacher Collins Syndrome (TCS) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by severe craniofacial defects. The syndrome is associated with mutations in the TCOF1 gene, which encodes a nucleolar phosphoprotein called treacle. Model organisms have been generated to model the disease and have revealed knowledge about the etiology and pathogenesis of the disorder. The craniofacial abnormality observed in TCS patients is found to be caused by an increased level of apoptosis in the neuroepithelium and from this it has been suggested that treacle is important for proper formation and proliferation of neural crest cells that will ultimately contribute to the …


Comparison Of Passive Cervical Spine Flexion In Children And Adults, Jami Saffioti Jun 2009

Comparison Of Passive Cervical Spine Flexion In Children And Adults, Jami Saffioti

Theses and Dissertations

Head trauma is the most frequent injury sustained by children in car crashes, and the neck plays a key role in governing head kinematics during the crash. Pediatric anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) are used to assess the risk of head injury, yet the pediatric ATD neck is a size-scaled model of the adult ATD neck, with no consideration for the tissue properties and morphological changes during human development. To help understand the effects of maturation on the changes in neck flexion biomechanics, this study compared the passive cervical spine flexion of children to adults in specific age groups (6-8, 9-12, …


Transcriptional, Epigenetic, And Signal Events In Antifolate Therapeutics, Alexandra Racanelli Jun 2009

Transcriptional, Epigenetic, And Signal Events In Antifolate Therapeutics, Alexandra Racanelli

Theses and Dissertations

A targeted approach to the development of antifolate therapies has been sought for many years. Central to the success of such development is an understanding of the molecular mechanisms dictating the sensitivity of cells to antifolates and the fundamental differences of these processes between normal and neoplastic phenotypes. This dissertation addressed transcriptional mechanisms and cell-signaling events responsible for the efficacy of antifolate therapies. Transcriptional processes and cell signaling pathways are often aberrant in neoplastic tissues, providing a potential point of distinction between a normal and neoplastic cellular state. Folylpolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS) catalyzes the formation of poly-γ-glutamate derivatives of folates and …


The Main Effects Of Gender And Faculty Rank On Occupational Stressors, Technology Stressors, And Coping Strategies Of Journalism And Mass Communication Educators In The U.S, Paulette Helen Walter Jun 2009

The Main Effects Of Gender And Faculty Rank On Occupational Stressors, Technology Stressors, And Coping Strategies Of Journalism And Mass Communication Educators In The U.S, Paulette Helen Walter

Theses and Dissertations

Assistant professors who teach journalism and mass communication tend to be more stressed than either associate professors or full professors, and female faculty members are more stressed than male faculty. Both female and male assistant professors ranked the following three items as causing them the highest stress: having inadequate time to devote to research, not having clear criteria for evaluation of research, publication, or creative activities, and teaching inadequately prepared students. Journalism and mass communication faculty generally use positive coping strategies such as prioritizing work or planning ahead. Additionally, across the board, the levels of stress reported for preparing to …


The Effects Of Intensive Lower Limb Training On The Speech Of Patients With Parkinson's Disease, Lauren Fjeldsted Allen Jun 2009

The Effects Of Intensive Lower Limb Training On The Speech Of Patients With Parkinson's Disease, Lauren Fjeldsted Allen

Theses and Dissertations

Research has documented the positive effects of physical therapy as a treatment for limb motor symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). Previous studies have shown that speech and voice measures can be reflective of overall cardiovascular health and fitness in young, middle-aged, and older adults. In healthy individuals, increased respiratory drive has been found to influence vocal function and speech articulation. The rationale for the present study was that improved lower limb function might lead to improvements in overall fitness, which then may influence speech in individuals with Parkinson's disease. To investigate this premise, 10 participants diagnosed with mild to …


Finish-A-Rhyme-Story: A Rhyme Cloze Assessment For Preschool Children, Kimberly Jeanne Condie Jun 2009

Finish-A-Rhyme-Story: A Rhyme Cloze Assessment For Preschool Children, Kimberly Jeanne Condie

Theses and Dissertations

Educators need measurement tools to determine phonological awareness in young children. This study investigated the appropriateness of rhyme cloze tasks, referred to as Finish-a-Rhyme-Story items, which were designed to measure preschool and kindergarten children's early rhyme development. The rhyme cloze tasks required children to verbally complete a sentence by filling in a final rhyming word that matched a rhyme pattern highlighted in a short story that was read aloud to them. The task required rhyme awareness as well as comprehension of the language in the story. Twenty-four items were individually administered to preschool (n = 207) and kindergarten (n = …


How Does Playful Active Learning Motivate Students To Write And Affect Performance In Writing?, Allison N. Williams Jun 2009

How Does Playful Active Learning Motivate Students To Write And Affect Performance In Writing?, Allison N. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines students' writing and how educators can motivate students to write. The problem that this study attempts to examine is the effect that motivation has on student writing. This study used teaching methods that incorporate active learning and guided play into the curriculum. Over the course of a three- week period, a classroom of fourth graders was examined to determine if they could be motivated to write. Surveys, a focus group, in class lessons, and a writing journal were used within this study. At the conclusion of the study, it was determined that playful active learning can be …


Using Literature And Role-Playing To Teach Social Skills To Students In Self-Contained Classrooms, Lauren M. Massa Jun 2009

Using Literature And Role-Playing To Teach Social Skills To Students In Self-Contained Classrooms, Lauren M. Massa

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the role of educators in teach social skills to self-contained students. Bibliotherapy, which utilizes books to help people solve their problems and role-playing were the two methods used to teach social skills. For this study, five data collection instruments were utilized: audio taped class discussions, video recordings of role-playing sessions, a teacher research journal, an instructional unit, and student projects and artifacts. For the sake of privacy and confidentiality, the names of people and places were altered. The qualitative research study was conducted in a Kindergarten self-contained classroom, located in …


Effective Strategies For Creating Socially Developing And Accepting Inclusion Classrooms, Kristin Bishop Jun 2009

Effective Strategies For Creating Socially Developing And Accepting Inclusion Classrooms, Kristin Bishop

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and determine the most effective strategies for creating a socially developing and accepting inclusion classroom. The study was conducted as teacher research and uses both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The population used in the study was that of a first grade inclusion classroom. All students who were given parental consent participated. A classroom observation rubric, student surveys, and student interviews were completed pre-implementation. Strategies for creating a socially developing and accepting inclusion classroom were implemented; reading pertinent literature, discussions, and lunch conversations. During this time student artifacts were collected. After the …


Elementary School Students And Homework: A Study Of Best Practices, Michelle F. Brown Jun 2009

Elementary School Students And Homework: A Study Of Best Practices, Michelle F. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze fourth grade teachers' policies and opinions about homework in a southern New Jersey school and compare these findings with previously completed studies done by other researchers throughout the country. Through the methods of various surveys and discussions, five fourth-grade teachers, nineteen students, and sixteen parents were involved in this study. The researcher, who was student teaching in one of the fourth grade classrooms in this school where the majority of investigation took place, also kept a journal of observations relating to homework. The researcher found that although most students were spending an …


Shootin Up The Past: Terministic Frontiers In Angle Of Repose And High Noon, James C. Dalrymple Jun 2009

Shootin Up The Past: Terministic Frontiers In Angle Of Repose And High Noon, James C. Dalrymple

Theses and Dissertations

The West has long been an important geographic and symbolic space for the United States. In the 19th and 20th centuries that space became the subject of numerous popular works of fiction, first in print and later in the cinema. These texts eventually formed a specialized genre, the Western, which had its own conventions, styles, and themes. Wallace Stegner's Angle of Repose and Fred Zinnemann's High Noon, both seminal western texts from the mid-twentieth century, seek to reinterpret those conventions. While the Western is often characterized as a genre of violent masculinity and rugged individualism, these two texts employ conventional …


Investigating The Response Of Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells To The Cuprizone Model Of Demyelination, David Moffatt Jun 2009

Investigating The Response Of Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells To The Cuprizone Model Of Demyelination, David Moffatt

Theses and Dissertations

Multiple sclerosis and other myelin diseases affect the quality of life many people. In the United States alone, multiple sclerosis afflicts as many as 400,000 individuals. Myelin, which is attacked by multiple sclerosis, plays a critical role in maintaining the healthy function of the adult nervous system. There are many model systems that study myelin and its formation and loss. Our lab investigates the cuprizone model of demyelination and remyelination. The cuprizone model is commonly believed only to affect adult oligodendrocytes, which it kills. The current study investigates whether other cells in the oligodendrocyte line, such as oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, …


Role Of Fdcs And Fdc Activation In Promoting Humoral Immunity Including Responses To T-Dependent Antigens In The Absence Of T Cells, Sayed Rania El Jun 2009

Role Of Fdcs And Fdc Activation In Promoting Humoral Immunity Including Responses To T-Dependent Antigens In The Absence Of T Cells, Sayed Rania El

Theses and Dissertations

Follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) reside in primary B-cell follicles and in the light zones of germinal centers (GCs) in secondary follicles, where their dendrites interdigitate forming extensive networks intimately interacting with B-cells. In GCs, FDCs can be found at the edges attached to the supporting reticular fibers. They trap and arrange immune complexes (ICs) in vivo and in vitro in a periodic manner with 200–500Å spacing and provide both antigen-specific and non-specific accessory signals to B-cells. FDCs exist in resting and activated states, with two characteristically different phenotypes. In their activated state, FDCs upregulate the expression of accessory molecules and …


Student And Teacher Perceptions Of Motivational Strategies In The Foreign Language Classroom, Ashley Ruesch Jun 2009

Student And Teacher Perceptions Of Motivational Strategies In The Foreign Language Classroom, Ashley Ruesch

Theses and Dissertations

Motivational research has recently shifted focus to include what role teachers, and the motivational strategies they use, play in the language learning classroom (Cheng & Dörnyei, 2007; Dörnyei & Csizer, 1998). Motivational research has traditionally gathered data from either teachers or students. However, researchers have recently been calling for a shift in focus from this individualistic perspective to evaluating motivation more holistically (Dörnyei, 2001a; Oxford, 2003; Ushioda, 2006). Nevertheless, few studies have included the opinions of both the students and teachers. This study has elicited the opinions of both students and teachers to find out which teaching practices both groups …


Roles Of Krüppel Like Factors Klf1, Klf2, And Klf4 In Embryonic Beta-Globin Gene Expression, Yousef Alhashem Jun 2009

Roles Of Krüppel Like Factors Klf1, Klf2, And Klf4 In Embryonic Beta-Globin Gene Expression, Yousef Alhashem

Theses and Dissertations

Krüppel like factors (KLFs) are a family of 17 proteins whose main function is gene regulation by binding to DNA elements in the promoters of various genes. KLF transcription factors recognize CACCC-elements and act as activators or repressors of the gene expression. Among the 17 family members, KLF1, KLF2, and KLF4 share high homology to each other. KLF1 is the founding member of the family and is an erythroid-specific protein. KLF2 is expressed in erythroid, endothelial, and other cells. KLF4 is expressed in endothelial, smooth muscle, and other cells. In this thesis, the functions of these KLFs were reviewed in …


The Effect Of Chronic Constriction Injury On Cellular Systems Within Nociceptive Pathways In The Mouse, Michelle Hoot Jun 2009

The Effect Of Chronic Constriction Injury On Cellular Systems Within Nociceptive Pathways In The Mouse, Michelle Hoot

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic neuropathic pain is often difficult to treat due to its resistance to therapeutic intervention. This is due in part to the poor understanding of the physiological mechanisms involved in the establishment and maintenance of neuropathic pain states. The neuropathic pain model, chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve, produced robust pain hypersensitivity in our mice. It also induced significant changes in the mitogen activated protein kinase family, and the cannabinoid and µ-opioid systems in three different brain areas involved in the modulation or regulation of pain states. CCI induced a 2.5 fold increase in mRNA of the kinase Raf-1 …


Investigating The Role Of Electric Fields In Directing Schwann Cell Behavior, Nishant Magar Jun 2009

Investigating The Role Of Electric Fields In Directing Schwann Cell Behavior, Nishant Magar

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the potential of Schwann cells (SCs) to be manipulated by electric fields (EFs) in order to improve recovery from spinal cord injury (SCI). It had long been believed that the central nervous system (CNS) is incapable of regeneration, but recent studies have proven otherwise. SC transplants are known to be useful in promoting axon regeneration after SCI, but is not sufficient for functional recovery. EFs are known to exist in vivo, and have been known to drastically affect the morphology and behavior of cells in various tissues. It was the hypothesis of this study that the conditioning …


Effects Of Prior Aging At 288°C In Argon Environment On Creep Response Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Pmr-15 Composite With ±45°Fiber Orientation At 288°C, Tyler F. Gruters Jun 2009

Effects Of Prior Aging At 288°C In Argon Environment On Creep Response Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Pmr-15 Composite With ±45°Fiber Orientation At 288°C, Tyler F. Gruters

Theses and Dissertations

The creep and recovery response of carbon fiber reinforced PMR-15 composite with a ±45 fiber orientation was examined in an argon environment at 288°C. Mechanical testing was executed for unaged specimens as well as specimens aged up to 1000 hours. Tensile tests were performed to determine Young's modulus of elasticity and ultimate tensile strength. The creep tests were carried out at stress levels of 30 and 60 MPa. Creep periods of 25 hours were followed by recovery periods of 50 hours at zero stress. Weight loss measurements as a function of aging time were taken as well. The accumulated creep …