Digital Commons Network^™

Ocelot Distribution In The Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Kevin James Shinn

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Weaver hair-snaring surveys were conducted at 125 sites on 27 Refuge tracts to obtain information about the distribution and population status of the endangered ocelot ( Leopardus pardalis ) in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The surveys resulted in 33.6% of the pads “hit”, including 8 by ocelot and 29 by bobcat. There was no significant difference in the number of ocelot hits between warm and cool seasons or between the sexes. Preferred habitat consists of dense thornscrub brush. Four species, snake-eyes, granjeno, honey mesquite, and colima comprise 50% or more of the total cover at each …

Retention Of Beginning Teachers: A Comparison Of Teachers Prepared Through An Alternative Certification Program And A Center For Professional Development Of Teachers Field-Based Program, Glendelia Muniz Zavala

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Teacher retention has been a matter of concern for the past several years. Teacher shortages occur in critical academic and geographic regions. In South Texas, teacher turnover has consistently remained higher than the national average. More importantly is a high attrition rate among beginning teachers. Recent studies reported that 19% of novice teachers leave teaching after the first year and approximately 50% leave the profession within the first five years of teaching. Numerous studies have investigated various factors that contribute to teacher attrition, however, few have been conducted to determine the impact of teacher preparation paths on the retention of …

Wordless Picture Books Versus Standard Stories For Language Assessment Of Spanish-Speaking Children, Yvonne De Anda

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Narrative samples from Spanish-speaking children will be analyzed using a wordless picture book and standard storybook. Ages of participants will be between 6.0 and 7.11 years and demonstrate: normal hearing and vision, no familiarity with books used in study, and receptive and expressive language skills 1.5 to 2 standard deviations below the mean as predetermined by a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist. The first story will be orally presented. Afterwards, children will respond to questions and retell the story. A silent presentation of the second story will follow, along with retelling of story and questions. Utterance length, sentence complexity, and vocabulary will …

Negative Homotropic Effects In Glutamic Dehydrognase A Mathematical Model For Enzyme Kinetics, Kevin W. Jackson

Theses (Pre-2016)

N/A

1080 Summary Information, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia, Department Of Conservation And Land Management, Western Australia, Department Of Health, Western Australia

Biosecurity research reports

Fluoroacetate, the active ingredient of 1080, occurs naturally in toxic plants in Australia, South Africa, and South America. Manufactured I080 underpins most vertebrate pest control programs in Australia and New Zealand. Fluoroacetate occurs naturally in about 40 plant species in Australia with most of these plants restricted to the south-west of WA.

I080 was introduced to rabbit control programs in the early 1950s and therefore has a long history of proven effectiveness and safety in Australia. There have been few repo1ted problems associated with human safety, environmental persistence, bioaccumulation or impact on populations of non-target species.

In particular, I080 baits …

Inhibition Of Apoptosis By Gamma Interferon In Cells And Mice Infected With Chlamydia Muridarum (The Mouse Pneumonitis Strain Of Chlamydia Trachomatis), Jean-Luc Perfettini, Toni Darville, Alice Dautry-Varsat, Roger G. Rank, David M. Ojcius

All Dugoni School of Dentistry Faculty Articles

The effect of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) on apoptosis due to infection by Chlamydia muridarum (the mouse pneumonitis strain of Chlamydia trachomatis) was studied in epithelial cells in culture and in the genital tracts of mice. IFN-γ concentrations that induce the formation of aberrant, persistent chlamydiae inhibit apoptosis due to C. muridarum infection. In cells treated with an IFN-γ concentration that leads to the development of a heterogenous population of normal and aberrant Chlamydia vacuoles, apoptosis was inhibited preferentially in cells that contained the aberrant vacuoles. The inhibitory effect of IFN-γ appears to be due in part to expression of host …

University Of Central Florida Graduate Catalog, 2002 - 2003, University Of Central Florida

UCF Catalogs

No abstract provided.

When Parents Come Out As Parents Of Gay And Lesbian Children: A Transformation Of The Self., Crissy E. Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how and why parents of gay and lesbian children come to join a support and advocacy group when same-sex attraction and sexuality are still considered deviant and immoral by the majority of society. Based on participant observation of and interviews with parents in two separate support and advocacy groups this study examines how parents come to define themselves in terms of the issues they are fighting for, in this case gay and lesbian acceptance, inclusion, and equality. This research also examines how parents formulate new religious convictions to satisfy their new parental role as supporter and advocate …

Isolation And Characterization Of Endophytic Colonizing Bacteria From Agronomic Crops And Prairie Plants, Denise K. Zinniel, Patricia A. Lambrecht, N. Beth Harris, Zhengyu Feng, Daniel Kuczmarski, Phyllis Higley, Carol A. Ishimaru, Alahari Arunakumari, Raul G. Barletta, Anne K. Vidaver

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Endophytic bacteria reside within plant hosts without causing disease symptoms. In this study, 853 endophytic strains were isolated from aerial tissues of four agronomic crop species and 27 prairie plant species. We determined several phenotypic properties and found approximately equal numbers of gram-negative and gram-positive isolates. In a greenhouse study, 28 of 86 prairie plant endophytes were found to colonize their original hosts at 42 days postinoculation at levels of 3.5 to 7.7 log₁₀ CFU/g (fresh weight). More comprehensive colonization studies were conducted with 373 corn and sorghum endophytes. In growth room studies, none of the isolates displayed pathogenicity, …

Characterization Of Fro1, A Pea Ferric-Chelate Reductase Involved In Root Iron Acquisition, Brian M. Waters, Dale G. Blevins, David J. Eide

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

To acquire iron, many plant species reduce soil Fe(III) to Fe(II) by Fe(III)-chelate reductases embedded in the plasma membrane of root epidermal cells. The reduced product is then taken up by Fe(II) transporter proteins. These activities are induced under Fe deficiency. We describe here the FRO₁ gene from pea (Pisum sativum), which encodes an Fe(III)-chelate reductase. Consistent with this proposed role, FRO₁ shows similarity to other oxidoreductase proteins, and expression of FRO₁ in yeast conferred increased Fe(III)-chelate reductase activity. Furthermore, FRO₁ mRNA levels in plants correlated with Fe(III)-chelate reductase activity. Sites of FRO_{1 …}

Accumulation Of Microbial Biomass Within Particulate Organic Matter Of Aging Golf Greens, Mine Kerek, Rhae A. Drijber, William L. Powers, Robert C. Shearman, Roch E. Gaussoin, Anne Streich

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Microbial biomass (MB) is a key variable controlling soil organic matter dynamics in soil. Currently, there is little information on the amount and significance of MB in highly managed golf greens. Our objective was to determine the amount and distribution of MB within soil structural components of golf greens and its relationship to the location of organic substrates. During 1996, 47 greens were sampled from 12 golf courses within Nebraska (USA). Microbial biomass, determined as extractable lipid phosphate on field-moist soils, increased linearly with age of green (Y = 19.39 + 3.54x; r² = 0.87, P = 0.001). In …

Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Treatment Improves Properties Of Cast Films From Soy Protein Isolate, Jong W. Rhim, Aristippos Gennadios, Curtis Weller, Milford Hanna

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The manufacture of edible/biodegradable films or coatings can potentially add value to soy protein. This study was conducted to determine the effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on selected physical properties of glycerin-plasticized soy protein isolate (SPI) films. Films were cast from heated (70 °C for 20 min), alkaline (pH 10) aqueous solutions of SPI (5 g/100 ml water), glycerin (50% w/w of SPI), and SDS (0, 5, 10, 20, 30, or 40% w/w of SPI). Tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (E), moisture content (MC), total soluble matter (TSM), water vapor permeability (WVP), and color values (L, a, and …

Vectorial Acylation In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Zhiying Zou, Fumin Tong, Nils J. Færgeman, Claus Børsting, Paul N. Black, Concetta Dirusso

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fat1p and fatty acyl-CoA synthetase (FACS) are hypothesized to couple import and activation of exogenous fatty acids by a process called vectorial acylation. Molecular genetic and biochemical studies were used to define further the functional and physical interactions between these proteins. Multicopy extragenic suppressors were selected in strains carrying deletions in FAA1 and FAA4 or FAA1 and FAT1. Each strain is unable to grow under synthetic lethal conditions when exogenous long-chain fatty acids are required, and neither strain accumulates the fluorescent long-chain fatty acid C₁-BODIPY-C₁₂ indicating a fatty acid transport defect. By using these …

Ecogeographic Surveys As Tools For Analyzing Potential Reproductive Isolating Mechanisms: An Example Using Solanum Juglandifolium Dunal, S. Ochranthum Dunal, S. Lycopersicoides Dunal, And S. Sitiens I. M. Johnston, Stacey Dewitt Smith, Iris Edith Peralta

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

An ecogeographic survey was completed for two pairs of South American Solanum species: (1) S. juglandifolium and S. ochranthum, and (2) S. lycopersicoides and S. sitiens. The purpose of this survey was to characterize the distribution, ecology, and phenology of these species and to screen for factors that might constitute premating reproductive isolating mechanisms between each pair. Passport data from 276 herbarium specimens were entered into a database, which was subsequently analyzed to determine the ecogeographic distribution and phenology of the surveyed species. The differences between species uncovered by the survey were then considered in the context of …

Current Trends In Hormone Replacement Therapy, Tariq Y. Khashoggi

Saudi Medical Journal

As life span increases, more and more women live longer after the menopause, and see its long-term consequences. The menopause and climacteric have major consequences for the well being of most women, resulting in a variety of symptoms including vasomotor, psychological, sexual symptoms and increased risk of osteoporosis and atherosclerosis. Prevention of osteoporosis and reduction in cardiovascular risks are the long-term goals of post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy. Post-menopausal women who receive hormone replacement therapy have approximately half of the rate of coronary artery disease compared to those who do not take it. Similarly, estrogen replacement alone for 5 years results …

Sandhoff Disease (Gm2 Gangliosidoses) In A Premature Patient With Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia, Atiqa Abdul-Wahab, Mohammed S. Bessisso, Mahmoud F. Elsaid

Saudi Medical Journal

We report a female premature infant with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and Sandhoff disease. The clue for diagnosis was the fundoscopy examination. We discuss this rare disease with unusual presentation of intrauterine growth retardation, premature delivery, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Necrotizing Fasciitis, Ahmed N. Ghanem, Ismail A. Halim, John M. Embil, Catherine Cherneski

Saudi Medical Journal

No abstract provided.

Isolation And Characterization Of Endophytic Colonizing Bacteria From Agronomic Crops And Prairie Plants, Denise K. Zinniel, Patricia A. Lambrecht, N. Beth Harris, Zhengyu Feng, Daniel Kuczmarski, Phyllis Higley, Carol A. Ishimaru, Alahari Arunakumari, Raul G. Barletta, Anne K. Vidaver

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Endophytic bacteria reside within plant hosts without causing disease symptoms. In this study, 853 endophytic strains were isolated from aerial tissues of four agronomic crop species and 27 prairie plant species. We determined several phenotypic properties and found approximately equal numbers of gram-negative and gram-positive isolates. In a greenhouse study, 28 of 86 prairie plant endophytes were found to colonize their original hosts at 42 days postinoculation at levels of 3.5 to 7.7 log₁₀ CFU/g (fresh weight). More comprehensive colonization studies were conducted with 373 corn and sorghum endophytes. In growth room studies, none of the isolates displayed pathogenicity, …

Reproduction In Captive Wild-Caught Coyotes (Canis Latrans), Jeffrey S. Green, Frederick F. Knowlton, William C. Pitt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We assessed reproductive patterns of coyotes (Canis latrans) from a 12-year data set involving 24 pairs of captive animals acquired from Latah County, Idaho. None of the females had placental scars (fetal implantation sites) at 1 year of age, but over 80% had placental scars by 2 years of age. The fraction with placental scars remained at 80–90% through age 9 years and then declined to ,40% by age 12 years. Similarly, mean number of placental scars per female rose rapidly through 2–3 years of age, remained stable until age 8 years, and then progressively declined to a …

Phylogenetic Analysis Based On 18s Ribosomal Rna Gene Sequences Supports The Existence Of Class Polyacanthocephala (Acanthocephala), Martin Garcia-Varela, Michael P. Cummings, Gerardo Perez-Ponce De Leon, Scott Lyell Gardner, Juan P. Laclette

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Members of phylum Acanthocephala are parasites of vertebrates and arthropods and are distributed worldwide. The phylum has traditionally been divided into three classes, Archiacanthocephala, Palaeacanthocephala, and Eoacanthocephala; a fourth class, Polyacanthocephala, has been recently proposed. However, erection of this new class, based on morphological characters, has been controversial. We sequenced the near complete 18S rRNA gene of Polyacanthorhynchus caballeroi (Polyacanthocephala) and Rhadinorhynchus sp. (Palaeacanthocephala); these sequences were aligned with another 21 sequences of acanthocephalans representing the three widely recognized classes of the phylum and with 16 sequences from outgroup taxa. Phylogenetic relationships inferred by maximum-likelihood and maximum-parsimony analyses showed Archiacanthocephala …

Taking Evoultionary Transitions Seriously, Daniel R. Brooks

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The distinction between reversible and irreversible phenomena in biological information systems provides a basis for distinguishing microevolution from macroevolution. Biological transitions encompass the entire class of irreversible changes in biological systems, including physiological and developmental phenomena. Evolutionary transitions are the subset of biological transitions that have an impact on the quality and quantity of biological information transmitted to future generations. Evolutionary transitions are manifested empirically as macroevolutionary changes, i.e. evolutionary changes that can be detected only through phylogenetic analysis among groups of species sharing a unique common ancestry.

The Wetland Wonders Education Program: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Kristen Gilbert

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Wetland Wonders Field Experience Program (WWFEP) at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge connects U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conservation and education goals with an educational need (understanding wetlands) in the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem by using innovative education and volunteer initiatives. The WWFEP has two principal components, the Education Program Module (EPM) and the Volunteer Instructor Module (VIM).

The EPM provides a well rounded environmental educational experience to third, fourth and fifth grade students based on constructivism, inquiry-based learning, subject integration and theoretical model of environmental education. Third graders study Wetland Creatures (adaptations and habitats), fourth graders study the …

Parents Of Children With Severe Disabilities: Parental Stress, Depression, And The Marital Relationship, Melinda W. Christensen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This paper provides an overview of parental stress and depression in families with children diagnosed with severe cognitive disabilities. Previous research on parents with children with disabilities was reviewed. Studies were selected from peer-reviewed journal articles that specifically included children with an IQ below 70 or a noted cognitive impairment of a severe degree. Children in the study had to be living at home and below the age of 21. Significant levels of stress and depression were not found consistently in the studies reviewed. Parents of children with disabilities did report levels of stress and depression above the control groups …

Adopted Adolescents' Heterosexual Relationship Formation And Sexual Behaviors, Mathew Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adolescents' perceptions and behaviors about romantic heterosexual relationships and sexual intercourse were compared among adolescents living with adoptive, biological, and stepparents. Data come from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). In 1995, over 20,000 adolescents living throughout the United States completed a 90-minute in-home interview that asked numerous questions about romantic relationships and sexual behaviors. Add Health used a multi-stage cluster design to collect a random sample representative of adolescents attending U.S. schools.

Results showed that several demographic characteristics (gender, age, race/ethnicity, parent's education, and number of parents in the household) were associated with adolescents' perceptions and …

Effectiveness Of Opc For Systems Integration In The Process Control Information Architecture, Philips Zachariah

Theses

A Process is defined as the progression to some particular end or objective through a logical and orderly sequence of events. Various devices (e.g., actuators, limit switches, motors, sensors, etc.) play a significant role in making sure that the process attains its objective (e.g., maintaining the furnace temperature within an acceptable limit). To do these things effectively, manufacturers need to access data from the plant floor or devices and integrate those into their control applications, which maybe one of the "off the shelf tools such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Distributed Control System (DCS), or Programmable Logic Controllers …

Rescue Of Embryonic Dysmorphogenesis In Diabetic Rats By Using The Antioxidant Α- Lipoic Acid, Muhaira Hamad Majed Al Ghafli

Theses

Background:

The risk of congenital anomalies in children of diabetic mothers is three to four times that in offspring of non-diabetic mothers. The exact mechanisms of these birth defects are not known. Of the several factors suggested to contribute to embryonic maldevelopment in diabetic pregnancy, the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent disturbances to cellar defenses appears to be a plausible hypothesis. Antioxidants have been reported to rescue the embryos from being malformed in animal experiments. This study was aimed to determine if the ideal antioxidant lipoic acid would ameliorate the embryos from maternal diabetes-induced anomalies.

Methods:

Female …

Effect Of Environmental Heat Stress On Embryonic Bone Development, Noura Musaed Al-Menhali

Theses

Birth defects are anatomical abnormalities present at birth. The causes of birth defects are genetic, environmental and multifactorial inheritance factors. The main objective of the thesis is to determine the effects of maternal heat stress during rat pregnancy on fetal axial skeletal development and to explore some of the possible maternal and placental responses to heat stress.

Experiment one: A group of 40 Wistar pregnant rats were randomly assigned to two treatment groups, a control group (non-stressed, n = 10) heat at 21°C and a heat-stressed group kept at 41 °C (n = 30) for one hour on day 9 …

The Improvement Of Some Natural Organic Fertilizers Using Beneficial Microorganisms, Mariam Naseeb Al Hameeri

Theses

The random uses of inorganic fertilizers in the UAE farms generate a serious threat about polluting the soil, and the environment. This motivates some researchers to find suitable alternatives, which can give a better crop yield, and at the same time become friendly to the environment.

The present study was performed to find environmentally friendly biological fertilizers to substitute or reduce the application of inorganic fertilizers. Actinomycetes, which are known to produce plant growth regulators (PGRs) were isolated from UAE soils. A total of fifty-seven actinomycetes were isolated from a cucumber rhizosphere soil at a farm in AI-Ain city. Out …

Modeling And Assessment Of Environmental Capacity, Dubai Coastal Region, United Arab Emirates, Mohammad Abdul Rahman Hassan Deshgooni

Theses

The area investigated covers Dubai Creek in the Arabian Gulf Ten stations

Were elected for the tidy, covering the maximum fragments of the Creek. The

Assessment of environmental capacity indicated the presence of at least two

Distinct e regions along the Creek. The area located between Stations 1-3 is the

Downstream region; while the area laying between Stations 4-10 is the upstream

Region Water samples were analyzed for physico-chemical parameters (Water

Temperature, pH, salinity, Dissolved Oxygen, and Turbidity); and nutrients (Total

Nitrogen, Nitrate -nitrogen and Phosphate-phosphorus). Whereas the surface

Sediments were analyzed for: Moisture Content, Organic Carbon, and Texture

analyses; …

Effect Of Feeding Date Pits On Repartitioning Of Nutrients And Fertility In Rats., Ayesha Salem Al - Dhaheri

Theses

Five isonitrogenous (23% CP) and isocaloric (2.8 Mcal/kg) diets were prepared and used in this study; two control diets (diet 1, no date pits; diet 2, no date pits + 300 mg/kg vitamin E) and three diets containing date pits (diet 3, 12.5% date pits (DP); diet 4, 12.5% DP + 300 mg/kg vitamin E; and diet 5, 25% DP). Ninety mature Wistar rats (45 females and 45 males) were used in this experiment. All animals were provided with feed and water on an ad libitum basis for 29 consecutive days. Water and feed intake were measured daily Body weights …