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Responses Of Sphagnum And Carex Peatlands To Ultraviolet-B Radiation, And A Meta-Analysis Of Uv-B Effects On Vascular Plants, Peter S. Searles

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The severity of stratospheric ozone depletion in the temperate and polar latitudes has raised concerns about the sensitivity of terrestrial vegetation and ecosystems to solar ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation. This dissertation examined the responses of plants and microbes to solar UV-B for 3 years in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina (55° S). This region is under the influence of the Antarctic "ozone hole" during the austral spring. Additionally, a quantitative review of the UV-B literature was conducted using a set of statistical techniques known as meta-analysis.

For the field studies in Tierra del Fuego, plots were established in a Sphagnum moss peatland …

A Follow-Up Study Of A Primary Prevention Program Targeting Childhood Depression, Norman Chris Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Children have not historically been the subject of research focusing on internalizing disorders (i.e., childhood depression), even though childhood depression continues to be viewed as one of the most prevalent affective problem within this population. Over the past two decades, a small portion of that literature describes prevention efforts in public schools. There has been a growing body of literature centered on childhood depression. However, there are only three studies that report on longitudinal findings that have taken a primary prevention approach.

The present study was a follow-up investigation to delineate the effects of a school-based primary prevention program. The …

Phorboxazole Synthetic Studies: The C3–C15 Bis-Oxane Segment, Patrick Bernard Greer, William A. Donaldson

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

The enantioselective synthesis of the C3–C15 bis-oxane segment of the phorboxazoles has been accomplished from 3-t-butyldiphenylsilyloxypropanal in 9 steps (>90% ee).

Prenatal Care Utilization And Its Effect On Pregnancy Outcome In West Virginia, Cortney Robyn Usakewicz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of prenatal care utilization and maternal dietary intake on pregnancy outcome among West Virginia WIC participants. The sample size (102--155) used in this study varied, due to the number of subjects that provided complete information for specific variables. Data were obtained from survey questionnaires, participants' medical records and food frequency questionnaires. Data were analyzed by Statistica using Pearson's and Spearman's correlation.;Results of this study showed that women who experienced transportation problems or had problems with the father of the baby delayed initiation of prenatal care. In turn, these problems negatively …

Corrosion Between Orthodontic Archwires And Bracket Couples, Brian Costello O'Leary

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nickel-containing orthodontic wires have been reported to cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. An allergic reaction is related to corrosion of the alloys and subsequent leaching of nickel ions into the oral cavity. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant difference in the corrosive potential of stainless steel, NiTi and TMA wires either alone or when coupled with a stainless steel bracket.;Using potentiostatic anodic polarization, the samples were tested in 0.9% NaCl solution at room temperature with neutral pH. The breakdown potentials of stainless steel, NiTi, TMA, and the stainless steel bracket were 600 …

Factors Influencing Ruffed Grouse Productivity And Chick Survival In West Virginia, Christopher A. Dobony

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

I examined productivity, chick mortality, and factors influencing ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) chick survival in West Virginia during 1998--1999. The proportion of hens that attempted to nest, hen success, average clutch size, and hatch dates were similar between age classes, between sites, and between years. Hatch dates were similar between age classes and between sites. Depredation was the major cause of nest failure. I examined 2 types of radio transmitter attachment methods (glue-on and collar type) to determine mortality and survival in ≤3-day-old grouse chicks. Glue-on transmitters performed poorly, whereas collar types had excellent retention time. Chick survival was low …

Heavy Metal Redistribution In Soils Using Compost As A Soil Amendment, Jason Thomas Morrison

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Organic soil amendments such as compost can reduce the availability of heavy metal contaminated soil. The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate the efficiency of compost as an soil amendment within heavy metal contaminated soil; (2) to determine the hypoaccumulation of heavy metals in the stem, shoot, and root systems of white clover and wheat; (3) to identify movement of heavy metals within the soil; (4) to evaluate the differences of nodule formation in Trifolim repens. Three volumes of compost were added to a heavy metal contaminated soil (additions of zero, 10, and 40 percent compost, by volume). …

Parental Influences On High School Student Achievement And Goals, Richard K. York

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study examined parental influences on educational and career goals of high school students. Data on educational and career goals from the Perceived Life Chances Interview were derived from 124 rural adolescents. One hundred of their mothers and 36 of their fathers completed the Inventory of Parental Influence which consists of five subscales of Parental Involvement/Help, Psychological Support, Parental Pressure, Pressure for Intellectual Development, and Time Management/Monitoring. Responses from the Perceived Life Chances Interview were qualitatively analyzed in order to derive categories that reflected the varying responses from participants. These categories served as dependent variables in a series of …

Aspects Of Attention That Affect Compliance And General Behavior In Disruptive And Typical Children, Holly Ann Filcheck

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Currently, there is some controversy concerning whether praise affects compliance and behavior other than compliance (i.e., general behavior) in children with disruptive behaviors. It is unclear whether it is praise or other aspects of general attention, such as descriptions and enthusiasm, that influences children's behavior. The current study examined the effects of enthusiastic praise, non-enthusiastic praise, and non-enthusiastic description on child compliance (measured by the Compliance Test) and general behavior (measured by the Marble-in-the-Hole Game) in 15 children with disruptive behavior problems and 15 typical children. Results indicated that the participants had significantly higher rates of compliance in the non-enthusiastic …

Effects Of Cumulative Practice On Mathematics Problem -Solving Behavior, Kristin Hobbs Hazlett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Mathematics education has long been in need of improved methods of instruction, particularly in the area of problem-solving skills. This study compared three methods of training rules about laws of exponents and order of operations. All three training methods used the same mastery criterion for training each rule and included the same number of practice trials during review sessions that preceded each test. The difference between conditions involved what types of problems were presented during the reviews. For each review session, the cumulative group (n = 11) practiced 50 problems covering all rules learned up to that review. The simple …

Studies Of The Respiratory Chain Of Methylococcus Capsulatus (Bath), Timothy Brian Miley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The methanotrophic bacterium, Methylococcus capsulatus, is capable of the conversion of methane to methanol at ambient temperature and pressure. In this manuscript, we show that quinols can provide reducing equivalents to the membrane-bound form of methane monooxygenase (pMMO), substituting for NADH in whole cells and membrane fractions. Additionally, quinols are shown to be effective reductants for the detergent-solubilized enzyme, whereas NADH is ineffective. The decyl-analog of plastoquinol and duroquinol provide the greatest MMO activity in whole cells and membrane fractions, as well as detergent-solubilized samples. Lauryl maltoside is by far the best detergent for solubilization of catalytically-active methane monooxygenase. This …

Study Of Dispersal And Diversity Of Eriophyoid Mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea), Shifu Zhao

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Eriophyoid mites represent a major, agriculturally important group of mites. The knowledge of dispersal biology and species diversity of eriophyoids is very limited, because their tiny body size makes observation and study difficult.;The current method of using sticky glass slides or plates to sample airborne eriophyoids is inefficient and inappropriate. A new method using water pan traps and vacuum-filtration proved far superior to the previous method.;A three year investigation using the water pan sampling method resulted in a total of 8,131 airborne eriophyoid specimens, 60.6% of which were collected from the roof of a 40m high building. Airborne eriophyoids were …

Fundamental Capillary Electrophoresis: An Evaluation Of Electrokinetic Sampling, Cindy Ann Mleziva Blake

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Capillary electrophoresis has become a powerful separation technique in fields of biochemical separations, inorganic ions, and chiral separations. The technique has experienced exponential growth since the historic publication of Zone Electrophoresis in Open-Tubular Glass Capillaries by Lukacs and Jorgenson in 1981. However, the use of capillary electrophoresis as a primary research analysis tool still remains to be seen in many pharmaceutical laboratories. One of the main reasons for this is that it remains difficult to validate CE methods using the criteria of quantitation and accuracy posed by the current government regulating agencies, as developed for high performance liquid chromatography and …

Lead Exposure And Physiological Enzymes Among Industrial Versus Non-Industrial Workers In Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates., Fatima Rashid Mattar Said Al-Neamy

Theses

Lead, which is considered to be as a toxic metal without any useful physiological or biochemical function in human body was widely used since the evolution of the industrialized era as a chemical part of much machinery and commodities. Lead containing gasoline, lead paints, lead-soldered cans, lead-glazed earthenware and tobacco are examples of sources of lead. Therefore, lead continues to be a significant public health concern globally.

Nowadays it is particularly impossible to find a person with blood lead level lower than 0.48μmol/L (100 μg/ dL) especially in city areas. Changes in neurobehavioral, cardiovascular, hematological, and renal functions are found …

Foodborne Pathogens In Poultry Production And Post-Harvest Control, Rajesh R. Nayak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A comprehensive ecological survey was conducted from April 1997 to June 1999 on four turkey flocks (F5-F8) to identify the preharvest sources of Salmonella colonization. Generic E. coli and total coliforms were enumerated as indicators of fecal contamination in F7 and F8. Turkey cecal and crop contents, litter, drinkers, air, feed, feeder contents, and environmental swabs were sampled and tested for Salmonella and E. coli. Salmonella was isolated from 13% of litter, 11% of turkey ceca, 10% of drinkers, and 5% of swabs. Escherichia coli and total coliforms were detected in 45 and 53% of samples, respectively. Salmonella heidelberg was …

Parent And Sibling Relationship Influences On Late Adolescent Social Anxiety And Other Adjustment Outcomes, Catherine Joan Massey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The primary objective of the present study was to examine associations among several family relationships and adolescent social anxiety utilizing a family systems perspective. The second objective was to investigate specific family relationships and their association with adolescent adjustment outcomes such as depression, general anxiety, global self-worth, and social acceptance self-worth. Social anxiety levels of only children and children with siblings also were compared. Five-hundred and fifteen (337 females, 178 males) participants in late adolescence completed a questionnaire packet according to whether or not they had siblings. The questionnaire packets contained all or most of the following measures depending on …

Il -10 Gene Therapy For The Treatment Of Pulmonary Inflammation, Sujatha Dokka

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that plays an important regulatory role in inflammatory diseases. The overall goal of this research is to investigate the potential therapeutic effect of IL-10 gene therapy for the treatment of pulmonary inflammation and to develop appropriate gene delivery and expression systems for efficient gene transfer to the lung. We evaluated various liposomal and non-liposomal agents including LipofectAMINE RTM, LipofectinRTM, DOTAP, DEAE-dextran, and the DNA condensing agent protamine sulfate for their ability to promote gene transfection in macrophages. We have developed an efficient transfection protocol which is at least 20--25 fold superior to frequently used …

Fathers, Mothers, Marriages, And Children: Toward A Contextual Model Of Positive Paternal Influence, Ariel Rodriguez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research explored positive paternal involvement in the lives of children within the broader familial context of marital dynamics and positive maternal involvement. The National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) was used to obtain a longitudinal subsample of 582 first-married couples, as well as the wide range of variables necessary to explore this broader context of paternal influence. Three research questions guided the study: (1) What is the unique contribution of positive paternal involvement—with respect to positive maternal involvement and marital quality—in children's development? (2) How does the influence of positive paternal involvement interact with the influence of positive …

Facing The Monster: Responses Of North Dakota Higher Education Leaders To The Potential Impact Of Declining Public School Enrollment On The State's University System, Jane L. Schulz

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the perceptions of leaders of higher education in North Dakota regarding declining public school enrollment and its potential impact on higher education in the state. Educational leaders from three higher education institutions of differing types and other state policymakers were interviewed to determine their responses to the phenomenon of enrollment decline, the impact foreseen on higher education, and the planning activities used or being considered for use in preparation for the possible impact.

Data were gathered from open-ended interviews and through examination of planning documents of institutions and the North Dakota University System. A …

Certified Athletic Trainers' Perceptions Of Gender Equity And Barriers To Advancement In Selected Practice Settings, Cynthia L. Booth

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if gender and/or practice setting were related to certified athletic trainers' perceptions of gender equity and specifically to barriers to professional advancement by women. This study was used to examine the perceptions of gender equity as viewed by NATA-certified athletic trainers of both genders working in three different practice settings: the secondary school setting, the college/university setting, and the clinical/hospital setting. A total of 600 individuals were selected for the sample, 100 each of men and women from each of the three settings.

The findings of this study revealed that perceptions of …

Codependency Among Nurses: A Rural Urban Comparison, Nancy Carlson

Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive study was undertaken to examine the role of environmental work stressors and family-of-origin dysfunction in the gensis of professional codependency and compare rural and urban samples of nurses using those parameters. The nursing literature presents us with two contradictory explanations of the relation between codependency and nursing. Some see it emerge when a nurse’s wish to care for others is motivated by attempts to fulfill her or his own unmet needs from dysfuctional family experience. Others see the medical institutional expectation of devotion and self-sacrifice by nurses as a causal factor in codependency. Both interpretations are based on …

The Geography Of Exploration: A Study In The Process Of Physical Exploration And Geographical Discovery, Joseph St.Onge

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Exploration has been a common literary topic throughout the history of humans. However, much of this historical tradition has possessed a fairly narrow focus, emphasizing the drama and heroics of an individual explorer or concentrating on a description of a particular exploration. There has been little attempt at understanding the process of exploration and placing this important process in context with the historic and geographic phenomena that both affect and are affected by it. In this thesis, the author has broken the process of exploration down into a theoretical structure that is presented in a holistic model. This model has …

Evaluation Of The Effects Of Single Season Wild-Strain Mallard Releases On Local Breeding Population Densities, Charles E. Dixon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In 1993, to determine if wild-strain mallard releases could be used as a management practice to increase local mallard breeding populations, I released 2,344, 4.5- week-old mallard ducklings (1,200 females and 1,144 males) to wetlands on 12,10.4-km² sites (approximately 200 per site, 100 females, 100 males) in the North Dakota Prairie Pothole Region. I monitored the release sites to determine if any relationship existed between site characteristics and time of release to duckling survival estimates. I conducted breeding pair surveys during 1994 and 1995 on treatment and paired control sites to compare post-release population levels. Lastly, I analyzed return …

Studies On The Roles Of Atp In Nitrogenase Catalysis, Wei Wu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nitrogenase is the enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of nitrogen to ammonia in a reaction requiring MgATP hydrolysis. Two component proteins of nitrogenase are the iron protein (Fe protein) and the molybdenum-iron protein (MoFe protein).

Nitrogenase contains two nucleotide binding sites. During catalysis, the Fe protein binds two MgATP first. The conformational changes induced upon MgATP binding allow the Fe protein to associate with the MoFe protein. After the formation of the Fe protein-MoFe protein complex, a single electron is transferred from the Fe protein to the MoFe protein, an event that is coupled to MgATP hydrolysis in the Fe …

Altered T Cell-Mediated Immunity And Infectious Factors In Autism, Yong Hu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three major questions were addressed in this dissertation: 1) Do immune abnormalities associated with autism primarily alter CD4+ T cell-mediated or humoral immune responses? 2) Are specific T cell clones expanded in autism? 3) Which, if any, infectious agents play a role in autism?

CD4+ T cell-mediated (Th1) or humoral (Th2) immune responses can be distinguished on the basis of the cytokines expressed. CD4+ T-cells secrete interleukin type 2 (IL-2) and interferon-γ, whereas a Th2 response is associated with secretion of interleukin type 4(IL-4). mRNA extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear nuclear cells (PBMC) showed significantly increased levels of IL-2 and …

Rotational Structure Of Extremely Floppy Van Der Waals Complexes: Adiabatic Separation Of Angular And Radial Motion, P. Daniel Ward

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The adiabatic or Born-Oppenheimer approximation is often used in molecular calculations to simplify the solution to the Schrödinger equation. The basis of the approximation is the large difference in the relative motions of the nuclei and electrons in the molecule—the electrons are able to respond almost instantly to the movements of the nuclei. Thus, the nuclei may be regarded as being fixed in a certain position and the Schrödinger equation can then be solved using the potential obtained by solving the electronic problem at fixed nuclear configuration.

A similar argument can be used to decouple the angular and radial motions …

Affinity Purification Of Bovine Lactoferrin And Bovine Transferrin From Using Immobilized Gangliosides, Seung-Hee Nam

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bovine lactoferrin (BLF) and bovine transferrin (BTF) are major-iron transport and regulation proteins found in bovine whey. BLF and BTF must interact with the eukaryotic cell surface to mediate their biological function of iron delivery and cellular functions of inflammatory and immunological modulation. As common components of the eukaryotic cell surface, gangliosides were used for affinity purification of BLF and BTF.

Bovine gangliosides were isolated from fresh buttermilk and covalently immobilized onto controlled-pore glass beads (66 μg/g beads). After the matrix was loaded with whey protein (WPI or WPC), lactoferrin was eluted with 1 M NaCl and identified by N-terminal …

Health And Lifestyle Among Ute Native American Elders, Laura L. Prestwich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A basic health and lifestyle questionnaire was given to a convenience sample of 103 Ute elders, age 50 and older. Fifty-three percent reported being diagnosed with diabetes. The mean BMI (body mass index) was 33.31 (SD=8.72). For descriptive purposes, BMI was divided into three categories: less than 25, 25-29.99, 30 or above. Eleven percent were in the BMI category of less than 25. Thirty percent of Ute elders reported a BMI between 25-29.99. Fifty two percent had a BMI of 30 or above. Diabetes rates among this Ute elder sample were significantly lower with a lower income, lower education level, …

The Effect Of Buttermilk Fraction Concentrates On Growth And Iron Uptake And Transport By Caco-2 Cell Cultures, Yoo-Hyun Lee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To examine the effect of buttermilk fractions on growth, iron transport, and uptake, Caco-2 cells (human colon adenocarcinoma) were grown in a bicameral chamber. The Caco-2 cell culture system is a useful model to study micronutrient utilization in the human enterocyte, because Caco-2 cells continuously differentiate and form a monolayer, which has high polarity, a well-developed brush border, and a tight junction.

Iron bioavailabilty in various milks is very different depending upon milk composition. The fat fraction especially is known to be associated with iron absorption, because the fat fraction has milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), which contains bioactive molecules …

Effects Of Ph And Calcium Level On Extrusion-Textured Whey Protein Products, Andrea B. Hale

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effects of altering pH and calcium level during whey protein extrusion were assessed by measuring the protein solubility and WHC of the textured whey protein (TWP). TWP samples were produced by extruding dry mixtures of 2/3 WPC 80 (80% protein) and 1/3 cornstarch using screw speed of 200 rpms, feed rate of 23 g/min, water flow rate of 11 g/min, and product temperature of 150°C. The levels of acid and base were adjusted by adding concentrated HCl or NaOH, respectively, to the water source. Calcium was added to the raw mix in the form of calcium chloride dihydrate before …