Digital Commons Network^™

Comparison Of Chestnut Canker Treatment Procedures For Hypovirus Introduction, Brian C. Bell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Historically, hypovirulent strains of Cryphonectria parasitica have been introduced into cankers principally by inoculating wounds made to the margin of cankers. Twelve hypovirus introduction methods were tested. Seventy-two trees were inoculated in June 2002 with an orange-pigmented virulent strain of C. parasitica (two inoculations per tree). After 11 weeks, the resulting cankers were treated with a brown-pigmented hypovirulent C. parasitica isolate using one of the following methods: (1) a non-invasive treatment where the inoculum was painted onto the canker surface; (2) an invasive treatment where the canker face was wounded with a sharp blade prior to the painting application of …

Identity Development And Empathy As Related To Creative Activity Participation, Shana L. Blackshire

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The focus of this study was the associations between identity, empathy as an emotional construct, and participation in creatively focused activities among adolescents in a largely rural population. A series of measures to assess identity status, the ego strength of fidelity, empathy, and level of participation in creative activities were administered to 212 male and 320 female adolescents in grades nine through eleven at public high schools in Appalachia. Analyses indicated that while the expected relationship between creative activity participation and identity was not statistically significant, gender may heavily influence that relationship as a mediating variable. Empathy, however, was found …

Potential Mechanisms Linking Nutrition And Neuroendocrine Control Of Reproduction In The Sheep, Adam Bradley Dobbins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nutrition and reproduction are linked in that the nutritional status of an individual influences its reproductive performance, i.e. an individual in negative energy balance will have decreased ability to reproduce. The mechanisms in which nutrition influences reproduction are not understood. My data suggest that reductions in lutenizing hormone secretion resulting from photoperiod-induced increases in sensitivity to testosterone negative feedback may be mediated, at least in part, by elevated neuropeptide Y (NPY), a hypothalamic neuropeptide shown to alter gonadotropin releasing hormone release and potently affect food intake. The results from my second study support our hypothesis that the growth hormone mediated …

Depositional Environments And Sequence Stratigraphy Of The Rockwell-Price Formation In Western Maryland, South-Central Pennsylvania, And Northern West Virginia, Darin A. Dolezal

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Price Formation of northern West Virginia consists of Upper Devonian - Lower Mississippian siliciclastic rocks that are primarily marine. Members of the Price Formation include from oldest to youngest the Oswayo, Cussewago, Riddlesburg Shale, and Rockwell. Rocks of the Price Formation are considered to be of genetic and temporal equivalence to the Rockwell Formation in south-central Pennsylvania, western Maryland, and the eastern West Virginia panhandle.;The research attempts to (1) interpret sedimentary facies and their depositional environments and (2) identify stratigraphic relationships across six outcrops in the central Appalachian basin. Outcrops have been measured and described along a 150 km …

Effectiveness Of Treatment And Diversity Of Microbial Populations Within A Constructed Wetland Treating Wastewater, Jolene M. Friedland

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Constructed wetlands are used as alternative on-site wastewater treatment systems. Microbiological dynamics in constructed wetlands are essential to adequate functioning and efficiency of these systems. The efficacy of wastewater treatment by a large subsurface flow wetland receiving wastewater from a multi-user facility was examined. Real-time monitoring with telemetry was combined with measurement of standard wastewater parameters such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total suspended solids (TSS), and enumeration of fecal coliforms. Passage of wastewater through the wetland significantly reduced standard wastewater parameters in effluent samples. Heterotrophic bacterial diversity was examined using community level physiological profiling (CLPP) and molecular characterization of …

Stream Ecosystem Response To Mitigative Limestone Treatment In Acid-Impaired, Central Appalachian Streams, Sarah Elizabeth Mcclurg

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

We quantified water chemistry, primary production, and benthic macroinvertebrate and fish community structure in 20 Central Appalachian streams: 4 acidic streams, 8 naturally circumneutral streams, and 8 historically acidic streams treated annually with limestone sand over varying lengths of time. The objective was to determine the extent of chemical and biological recovery and temporal trends in the recovery process of limestone treated streams compared to circumneutral reference conditions in Central Appalachia. Results indicate that the application of limestone sand to acidic streams is effective in fully and immediately recovering some of the chemical and biological characteristics of naturally functioning stream …

Examination Of Experimentally Engineered Larval Fish Habitat In The Marmet Pool, Kanawha River, West Virginia, Jonathan M. Niles

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In rivers, velocity shelters are thought to serve as limiting factors in the retention and recruitment of young fish. Such shelters are formed in backwaters and tributaries, however these areas are limited in the Marmet Pool of the Kanawha River, West Virginia. In response to this concern, several structures that are thought to serve as low velocity zones were placed within the Marmet Pool. This study was conducted to evaluate the experimental rock structures (Finger and Zipper Dikes) as potential mitigation for navigational impact and to determine which sampling gears are best to sample these shallow, structurally diverse areas. The …

Glaucomys Sabrinus Fuscus Habitat And Nest Box Use In West Virginia With Management Recommendations For Kumbrabow State Forest, Tamara M. Terry

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nest site selection and habitat use of the endangered West Virginia northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus) is poorly understood. Because access to suitable nesting sites and habitats could be limiting factors, it is important to investigate these ecological requirements to further conservation efforts of the species. My study was conducted on the Kumbrabow State Forest and the MeadWestvaco Wildlife and Ecological Research Forest in Randolph County, West Virginia. I examined characteristics of 31 nest sites (22 cavity; 8 leaf; 1 undetermined) from 4 radio-collared West Virginia northern flying squirrels during the summers of 2002--2003. The nest trees used were …

Reasons For Overwinter Declines In Age-1+ Brook Trout Populations (Salvelinus Fontinalis) In Appalachian Headwater Streams, Jeremy J. Webster

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in the Appalachian Mountains are an important game species in West Virginia, yet angling mortality on these populations in headwater streams is poorly understood. The objectives of this study were to: (1) examine relative changes in body composition of brook trout as they fluctuate throughout the year, and to identify critical periods of survival to determine if brook trout reach critical levels of resource depletion over winter, and (2) evaluate whether angler harvest affects brook trout populations in spring in headwater streams. Body composition estimates indicated that brook trout are unlikely to reach critical levels of …

Biometric Analysis And Aversive Conditioning Of Black Bears In Southern West Virginia, Harley Wayne Weaver

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

During 2003, 11 male and 1 female black bear (Ursus americanus) were captured and fitted with radio collars. Individuals were randomly assigned to receive either treatment (n = 6) or control (n = 6). Upon release, treatment individuals received a conditional regimen comprised of rubber buckshot to the flank and a succession of shell crackers. Physical and auditory conditioning techniques we used did not appear to be an effective means of reducing repeat nuisance behavior.;West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) captured 179 (151 males, 28 females) nuisance and 156 (77 males, 79 females) non-nuisance individuals from 1996 to 2003.;We …

Exposures To Silica And Inducers Of Xenobiotic Metabolism In The Rat Lung, Lori A. Battelli

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

CYP1A1 metabolizes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as those in cigarettes, to reactive intermediates which interact with DNA and lead to cancer. Silica is a lung carcinogen. Epidemiology studies of silica and lung cancer are not all positive. A possible explanation for these inconsistencies may be that silica is a modifier of PAH metabolism and, thus, cigarette smoke carcinogenesis. We hypothesize that crystalline silica exposure alters CYP1A1 expression, thereby modifying lung cancer risk. Rats exposed to both crystalline silica and the model PAH, beta-naphthoflavone (NF), a CYP1A1 inducer have significantly decreased CYP1A1 enzymatic activity and CYP1A1 protein expression. In the …

Effects Of Herbivory By White -Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus Zimm.) On The Population Ecology And Conservation Biology Of American Ginseng (Panax Quinquefolius L.), Mary Ann Furedi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) is a long-lived understory herb considered rare within its range. Harvesting pressures and habitat degradation/destruction are thought to be the primary causes of population decline although others factors such as browsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimm.) have not yet been explored. To understand the effects of deer browsing on natural ginseng populations, my research focused on four specific objectives. First, I investigated how plant characteristics and microsite conditions influence the susceptibility to being browsed. I found that apparency plays a role in influencing browse selection, such that large, reproductive plants in visible and accessible …

Intraindividual Variability And Relations Between Daily Affect And Physical Activity Among Community -Dwelling Older Women, Jenessa C. Steele

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The current study investigated individual and group-level daily relations between affect and physical activity among 37 non-sedentary community-dwelling older women. The study expected that (a) positive affect would hold a significant, positive synchronous relation with physical activity and (b) negative affect would hold a significant, negative synchronous relation with physical activity over six consecutive days. Women over age 55 (M = 71.5, SD = 9.4) participated by completing four daily assessments (8am, 12pm, 4pm, 8pm) of positive and negative affect and physical activity on a hand-held computer Monday through Saturday. Affect was measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule …

Interactions Of Allelopathy And Competition Affecting Ziziphus Spina-Christi And Prosopis Juliflora Seedlings, Thobayet S. Alshahrani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study consists of two parts, provides data on the interference between Ziziphus spina-christi, native to Saudi Arabia, and Prosopis juliflora, an introduced species. Dry leaves from both species were milled and used to prepare extracts using 0g/l, 5g/l, 20g/l, 40g/l, 60g/l, and 100 g/l of dried leaves. Leaf extract of P. juliflora was used to irrigate Z. spina-christi with 120 ml weekly over a 7-month growth period, and vice versa. Plant height, plant diameter, number of leaves, leaf area, chlorophyll content, total root length, number of root tips, root diameter, root surface area, root volume, shoot dry weight, root …

Factors Influencing Basal Area Growth Of Yellow-Poplar ( Liriodendron Tulipifera L.) In Central West Virginia, Christopher T. Crum

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This paper uses data from continuous forest inventory (CFI) plots to evaluate basal area growth of yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) as related to four topographic factors (aspect, slope position, steepness, and landform), two competition variables (basal area per acre and trees per acre) and four tree characteristics (age, diameter, total height, and crown diameter). These variables were plotted against basal area growth per year using simple linear regression on 69 yellow-poplar trees. The four tree characteristics all had a highly significant (p < .01) relationship with basal area growth. While the other variables did not exhibit a significant relationship, the two competition variables did have a significant (p < .05) relationship with each other.

Visual Basic Time-Space Query Modeling For Geovisualization Of Life Paths, Ryan Heaslip

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The origins and incidence of many health problems are related to geographical circumstances. To be able understanding the underlying contributing factors requires conceptualizing the problem in geographical terms. A temporal dataset of individuals' locations was acquired from an annual census taken in Sweden. A space-time query model was constructed to explore associations between an individual's residential locations for given periods of time to those of other individuals with similar heath, or health related factors. The space-time query model was created in the Visual Basic extension of ArcGIS 8.3. Results were in the form of selections that could be exported into …

Multispectral Segmentation Of Whole-Brain Mri, Nitya Krishnan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a widely used medical technology for diagnosis and detection of various tissue abnormalities, tumor detection, and in evaluation of either residual or recurrent tumors. This thesis work exploits MRI information acquired on brain tumor structure and physiological properties and uses a novel image segmentation technique to better delineate tissue differences.;MR image segmentation will be important in distinguishing between boundaries of different tissues in the brain. A segmentation software tool was developed that combines the different types of clinical MR images and presents them as a single colored image. This technique is based on the fuzzy …

Shame And Negative Body Image In Adolescent Females, Erin K. Anderson-Fortier

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Current research in the fields of shame, body image, and adolescent female weight has had little convergence until recently. Biological changes that occur during adolescence, particularly weight gain for females, may result in feelings of shame. Shame is an involuntary reaction to the belief that the self is inherently flawed. Body image begins to form in early childhood, and "is a multidimensional construct that refers to subjective perceptual and altitudinal experiences about one's body, particularly one's physical appearance" (Cash, Melnyk, & Hrabosky, 2004, p.305). Body image may be negatively impacted when the adolescent female's belief that her actual body is …

What Is The Impact Of Parental Support On Early Literacy?, Deborah K. Bush

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Today, more than 75 percent of women ages 25--34 and 75 percent of women with a child under six years of age participate in the labor force. When both parents work outside the home, they often want to send their child to preschool, but preschool classes aren't always available, and often those that are available are the government programs that are open only to those of lower socio-economic status.;In addition, parents often want to support the emergent literacy of their children and help prepare them for kindergarten but aren't sure of how to provide the type of assistance that might …

The Development Of Mexican Nonproliferation Export Controls Cits Special Report, Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

This report by OLLAS assistant director Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado is part of a developing research and outreach project with the Center for International Trade and Security at the University of Georgia. It involved working with Mexican government officials to design and implement national responses to international agreements and obligations to ensure command and control of critical nuclear, biological, and chemical materials in Mexico. Dr. Benjamin-Alvarado conducted a comprehensive survey, which he administered in Argentina and Cuba previously, later in 2005 to assess Mexican export controls.

"Science" Of Eugenics?, Madonna Spann

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The War Of The Worlds, Wells, And The Fallacy Of Empire, John C. Hawley

English

In his summary of the contemporary reviews of The War of the Worlds (1898), William J. Scheick notes that their extensive number suggests that readers now recognized that Wells was an emerging writer whom they could not ignore. "There were, again," Scheick notes, "reservations about slipshod style, hasty plotting, vulgar content and cheap effects; but these doubts were overrun by the general verdict that this romance was one of the most ingenious stories of the year and the best work to date of an author who was one of the most original of the younger English novelists" (Scheick 5). Earlier …

The Characteristics Of Effective Fund Raising In Higher Education, Elizabeth Morken Tollefson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Psychopathy And The Five Factor Model In A Noninstitutionalized Sample: A Domain And Facet Level Analysis, Scott R. Ross, Catherine J. Lutz, Steven E. Bailley

Psychology Faculty Publications

The current study examined the relationship of the Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality to primary and secondary psychopathic dispositions in a noninstitutionalized sample. Previous investigations suggest that Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism are basic personality traits that characterize psychopathy. However, few studies have examined the relationship of the FFM to primary and secondary psychopathic attributes, respectively. In the current study, the relationship of the FFM using the NEO-PI-R to primary and secondary psychopathic dispositions was investigated in a sample of young adults. Previous findings were extended by (1) addressing the relationship of higher and lower order FFM traits (i.e., facet …

Arkansas Animal Science Department Report 2004, Zelpha B. Johnson, D. Wayne Kellogg

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

Inside Earth, Volume 7, No. 2, Winter 2004, Rodney D. Horrocks, Cave And Karst Program (U.S.)

Inside Earth

Contents: Park Updates -- Cave Temperature Fluctations Caused by Public Tours at Wind Cave -- Cave Gates and Cave Restoration at Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP

Rescue In Situ Thrombolysis For Acute Coronary Thromboembolism In An Angiographically Normal Coronary Artery, Walid M. Hassan, Vijayaraghavan Nambiar, Waleed A. Al-Habeeb, Nathem S. Akhras

Saudi Medical Journal

Coronary thromboembolism in an angiographically normal coronary artery is extremely uncommon. There are few instances where normal coronary arteries have been documented just prior to an episode of acute thromboembolic insult. We now report such a case of acute coronary thromboembolism in a patient with widely patent coronary vessels documented just prior to the event during preoperative screening angiogram with successful in situ revascularization.

Male Breast Disorders In Jordan. Disease Patterns And Management Problems, Rami J. Yaghan, Kamal E. Bani-Hani

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To highlight the features and management problems of male breast disorders in an eastern country such as Jordan. METHODS: Data regarding 33 male patients who underwent surgery for breast diseases in the Department of Surgery at Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan, between the year 1996 and 2002 were analyzed. RESULTS: Gynecomastia (45.5%), ductal carcinoma (18.2%), and lipoma (12.1%) were the most frequent lesions. Endocrine testing when the clinical diagnosis was physiologic gynecomastia was not yielding. Many features of male breast carcinoma in Jordan (symptomatology, male to female ratio, high education rate, age, diagnostic yield of fine-needle …

A Model For Using The National Board Dental Hygiene Examination Results As A Method Of Outcomes Assessment, Debra Scott Schultz

Dissertations

This research study examined the use of the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) results for the Dental Hygiene Program at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dental hygiene programs must develop outcomes assessment plans through a 7-year accreditation cycle under the auspices of the American Dental Association's (ADA) Council on Dental Accreditation using pass/fail rates for program graduates.

T -tests and ANOVA statistical tests were used in this study to examine NBDHE results from the Dental Hygiene Program within Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) during the years 1998 to 2000 to answer four questions: (1) How …

Assessing The Perceptions And Attitudes Of Black Students In A Midwestern Predominantly White Institution, Matsimela Changa Diop

Theses and Dissertations

Black students at a predominantly White institution (PWI) were assessed regarding their attitudes toward their experiences at a Midwestern research university. Questionnaires were sent to all enrolled students who indicated that their racial background was Black. A return rate of 44% (42 respondents) was received. Over 75% of the respondents were male, reflecting the predominant number of males among Black students at this PWI.

The students were divided into two groups, voluntary minority status Blacks and involuntary minority status Blacks (those from the adjoining two states of North Dakota and Minnesota). The voluntary minority status Blacks generally were more positive …