Digital Commons Network^™

Habitat Selection In Four Sympatric Small Mammal Species And The Effects Of Potential Predators On Peromyscus Leucopus, Adam Daniel Chupp

Theses and Dissertations

I examined the effects of potential predators in relation to habitat selection in Peromyscus leucopus. I also examined habitat selection in three other sympatric species (Blarina brevicauda, Blarina carolinensis, Sorex longirostris). I utilized data fiom 49 sampling sites on National Park Service land; Petersburg National Battlefield Eastern Front Unit (15), Five-Forks Unit (17), Appomattox Court House National Historical Park (15) and Booker T. Washington National Monument (12). Sites were categorized by location (park unit) and habitat type (i.e. bottom-land hardwood), and the microhabitat within each sampling site was characterized by four variables (% cover of grasses, herbs, shrubs, and volume …

Clinical Pharmacology Of Ms-275, A Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor, Milin R. Acharya

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this escalating single-dose phase I research study was to determine the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics as well as in vitro metabolism and plasma protein binding of MS-275, a novel histone deacetylase inhibitor, in patients with solid tumors and lymphomas. A validated LC/MS assay was developed to quantitate MS-275 in plasma, human liver microsomes and urine. The pharmacokinetic (PK) evaluation was done using a non-compartmental approach. In-vitro plasma protein binding profile of MS-275 was characterized by a validated micro-equilibrium dialysis method. In vitro phase I and phase II hepatic metabolism of MS-275 were evaluated using human liver microsomes. …

Experiencing Music, Michael Alan Gray

Theses and Dissertations

I am exploring the way music alters or enhances the perception of our environment. This creative project allows me to explore and visualize several issues that intrigue me: music (sound), emotion, and visual imagery (film). My goal in developing this topic is to allow others to have an experience related to sound and image, where image is altered and enhanced by the use of music.

Exploring Classical And Contemporary Conception Of Ethos Applied Case-The Rhetorical Ethos Of President George W. Bush, Bobby J. Antrobus

Theses and Dissertations

By exploring classical and contemporary conceptions of rhetorical ethos, this thesis assembles theories of analysis and then applies them in the form of rhetorical analysis of the rhetorical ethos exhibited by President George W. Bush in his presidential speeches. The theoretical investigation reveals the extensive use of the ethical appeal in all manner of rhetorical situations in the contemporary world but especially focuses on how political rhetoric has come to rely predominantly on this persuasive appeal. The study examines several speeches given by President Bush and concludes that his success as president is attributed largely to the sophisticated rhetorical strategies …

Evaluation Of The Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Relationship, Metabolism And Plasma Protein Binding Of The Novel Antitumor Agent, 2-Methoxyestradiol (2me2), Following Oral Administration In Patients With Solid Tumors., Nehal Jagdish Lakhani

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to determine safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of 2ME2 in patients with solid tumors and determine maximum tolerated dose (MTD). The following hypotheses were tested: 1) 2ME2 will be well tolerated in clinic when given orally and will have quantifiable effects on the ex vivo markers of angiogenesis and apoptosis; 2) 2ME2 will exhibit linear pharmacokinetics; 3) Plasma protein binding will be extensive and linear; 4) Sulfation will be the major metabolic pathway for 2ME2.This was a phase I dose escalation study. Twenty patients with refractory solid tumors were enrolled. 2ME2 was administered orally starting …

Escape Artist, Charles F. Gustina

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reviews the background, influences, and evolution of the body of work entitled Folia, which forms the basis for the candidate's thesis exhibition. It traces the development of the candidate's artistic inclinations from drawing to photography. Directorial and Pictorialist photography are discussed as forebears in the Influences chapter. Evolution of the Body of Work details how the current work grew from both the candidate's background and influences. A Brief Anthology of Quotations references Susan Sontag's influential work, On Photography, with quotations that have either influenced the candidate's work or reflect his perceptions of art and life. The balance of …

Playing To Learn, John Stanko

Theses and Dissertations

This creative project explores some major issues about visual communication in digital games. The project will continue to address new questions and invite questions from my visual and communication design colleagues. My hope is that, through this document, designers will see digital games like photography was seen around the turn of the century, and movies in the 1950's and 60's. In other words, as a rich new medium that offers creative people a virtually unexplored environment in which to work and create.�

The Extraction Of Type Ii Collagen And The Electrospinning Of Nano-Fibrous Scaffolds, Danielle Careen Knapp

Theses and Dissertations

Articular cartilage lining joints, such as in the knee, functions to reduce friction and absorb shock. Collagen type II is the largest constituent in the extracellular matrix of articular cartilage and its restoration is of the highest interest to tissue engineers. Cartilage has little ability to naturally regenerate due to the absence of vascularity and the inability of the chondrocytes to proliferate at a high rate. It would be ideal to create a mimicking extracellular matrix/scaffold from type II collagen that could possibly be used to replace damaged articular cartilage that has the same function and morphology. Three different groups …

Method Of Infant Feeding As A Predictor Of Maternal Responsiveness, Emily Eiwen Drake

Theses and Dissertations

Infants need to develop effective, secure attachment to their primary caregivers in the first year of life. Researchers have not been able to identify all the factors that may influence the development of infant attachment. Most of the studies in this area have been done without regard to infant feeding as a potential factor. Maternal responsiveness appears to be key in the child's development of secure attachment behaviors, yet even after decades of research on infant attachment and maternal responsiveness, there is little evidence available to assist with early identification of families at risk and few interventions known to be …

Identification And Characterization Of The Expression Profile Of Oligodendrocyte-Derived And Associated Proteins Via Unilateral X-Irradation Of The Rat Optic Nerve, Nicholas Greco

Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies examining cell-cell interactions during CNS development and following disease or trauma have highlighted our limited understanding of the in vivo functions of the myelinating cell of the CNS, the oligodendrocyte. With this in mind, our laboratory has developed techniques by which a profile of proteins derived from or regulated by oligodendrocytes can be elucidated. Specifically, we have demonstrated that oligodendrocytes can be selectively eliminated from one optic nerve of a rat by treating the animal with a unilateral exposure of X-irradiation at the time of birth. Consequently, this approach allowed us to experimentally create, within the same animal, …

Type-5 Phosphodiesterase Inhibition In The Prevention Of Doxorubicin Cardiomyopathy, Patrick William Fisher

Theses and Dissertations

Prior studies have demonstrated the effect of diazoxide in protecting against apoptosis via mitochondrial KATP channel opening in vitro. The current investigations are designed to determine if sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor and known mitochondrial KATP channel opener, would protect against chronic doxorubicin cardiomyopathy both in vivo and in vitro.Male ICR mice were randomized to 1 of 4 treatments: saline, sildenafil (0.7 mg/kg IP), doxorubicin (5 mg/kg IP), and sildenafil (0.7 mg/kg IP)+doxorubicin. Apoptosis was determined using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick-end labeling and in situ oligo ligation methods. Desmin distribution was determined via immunofluorescence. Bcl-2 was analyzed by …

Photography In Madagascar: Magical Realism As An Ambiguous Space, Talhy Stotzer

Theses : Honours

The visual component of this project consists of a photographic representation of my experience in a Vezo fishing village on the southwest coast of Madagascar. In the exegesis, magical realism provides a theoretical framework to describe both the use of the photographic medium and the content of my images. Away from both the rigid narratives of modernity and its realist perspective and from the sceptical nihilism of extreme postmodemity, magical realism allows for an ambiguous space in which expression and subjectivity are interconnected with empirical reality. Moreover, this concept which acknowledges a plurality of small and, sometimes contradictory, narratives to …

Horsepower : A Study Of Equine Influence On Female Adolescent Self-Efficacy, Vanessa Gay Hancox

Theses : Honours

Self-efficacy refers to the individual's belief in their capacity to exert control over themselves as well as situations which impact upon them: perceptions of self-efficacy influence cognitive development, behavioural capacity and emotional states. Low self-efficacy is often associated with problematic drug use, inappropriate sexual activity, low academic achievement, anxiety, depression, self-harming and suicidal behaviours during adolescence. Conversely, high self-efficacy is generally correlated with high academic achievement, positive social relationships and formation of sexual identity, increased self-regulatory ability and positive vocation selection. This study sought to examine the experiences of a group of five young women, aged between thirteen and seventeen …

The Effect Of Antioxidant Supplementation On Human Sperm Cryopreservation, Katrina E. Taylor

Theses : Honours

Semen cryopreservation has an important role in assisted reproductive technology however, the cooling, freezing and thawing processes often result in a significant loss of sperm motility, viability and nuclear integrity. The destructive effects of cryopreservation are significantly exacerbated in samples exhibiting low sperm number and poor morphological characteristics. Recent research into infertility has focused on the correlation between excessive oxidation and subfertility, in particular radical induced lipid peroxidation within the phospholipid bilayer of the spermatozoon plasma membrane and the promotion of cellular damage as a result of antioxidant insufficiency. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of …

A Feminist Jungian Analysis Of The Representations Of Teenage Females In Films 1950s To 1970s, Lea O'Dea

Theses : Honours

This thesis is framed within the broad study of film theory and analysis. It is my research into the representations of teenage females in mass media films made and released in the USA and Australia in the years before and after the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s and Women's Liberation Movement that began in the 1970s. This work is significant primarily in that it is an analysis specifically of teenage females who feature as lead characters in films. The sample of films has been chosen because as mass media, mainstream films their distribution is indicative of their acceptance within the …

Shifting Representations Of Aboriginality In Australian Cinema : Re-Presenting From An Anti-Colonial Perspective, Kylie Solonec

Theses : Honours

Recently there has been a significant shift in the way that Aboriginal people are being represented in Australian cinema. Some would argue that the social and political movements that have occurred since the 1960s through until today have had a significant effect and in turn have produced a third wave of Australian cinema. Concurrently with this process, there have been a number of Indigenous politicians, academics and filmmakers who have actively been striving to gain better resources and opportunities for Indigenous filmmakers to be able to tell their stories. A combination of these two projects has seen a shift in …

Farming At Wylie : A Technical Biography 1933- 1963, Bruce Rhind

Theses : Honours

The genesis of this project was my father Graeme Rhind's collection of photographs of farming in Western Australia, dating back to 1929 when his parents first began farming in the wheatbelt near Wyalkatchem. I was interested in the way these photographs illustrated changing farming practices during the following three decades, and how they provided both documentary evidence and stimulated recall of memory. I was also concerned by the loss of knowledge of old photographic collections. The photographs are insufficient by themselves because each image requires specialised knowledge which the viewer may not possess, and that knowledge is lost with the …

Individual Conferences And The Public Speaking Class, Rodney K. Marshall, Michelle T. Violanti

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study examined the individual conferences created by using the online-assisted method of teaching the Public Speaking class. During the course of the semester, students completed online quizzes to assess their textbook comprehension and met individually with the instructor to prepare for the presentations in the online-assisted course. Students in the traditional course attended and participated in class without use of computers outside of class. The results revealed the online-assisted students were more satisfied with the class, felt more prepared in giving presentations, perceived they learned more, felt better concerning the instruction, and perceived better communication with the instructor than …

Research Directions For Service-Oriented Multiagent Systems, Michael N. Huhns, Munindar P. Singh, Mark Burstein, Keith Decker, Edmund Durfee, Tim Finin, Les Gasser, Hrishikesh Goradia, Nick Jennings, Kiran Lakkaraju, Hideyuki Nakashima, H. Van Dyke Parunak, Jeffrey S. Rosenschein, Alicia Ruvinsky, Gita Sukthankar, Samarth Swarup, Katia Sycara, Milind Tambe, Tom Wagner, Laura Zavala, Mas Research Roadmap Project

Faculty Publications

Today's service-oriented systems realize many ideas from the research conducted a decade or so ago in multiagent systems. Because these two fields are so deeply connected, further advances in multiagent systems could feed into tomorrow's successful service-oriented computing approaches. This article describes a 15-year roadmap for service-oriented multiagent system research.

Law Fragments, Emily A. Hartigan

Faculty Articles

The contrast between the portrayal of Christianity and the treatment of earth-based religions by dominant legal discourse is illustrated throughout history. The true images of “saturated auratic [or] sacred elements-become-images” accompanies the division of history into fragments. The fragmented image is particularly important when it arises from a suppressed history or marginalized persons—these fragments are necessary to resist totalitarianism.

One way to see the call for “explosive fragments” is to acknowledge that the culture in the United States is already in ruins. Part of that dissolution is the loss of hegemony by white-male-European culture which can be seen in the …

Above Contempt?: Regulating Government Overreaching In Terrorism Cases, Peter Margulies

Law Faculty Scholarship

Prosecutors face the continual temptation to overreach in decisions about the control of information. At each phase of a criminal proceeding, from investigation through trial, prosecutors make crucial decisions about information to disclose and highlight with courts, juries, and the public. In ordinary times, courts, defense counsel, the media, and internal sources of oversight can place some constraints, however tenuous, on the prosecutor’s efforts to monopolize the management of information. However, external events, such as the attacks of September 11, 2001, can weaken these constraints, producing alarming spikes in prosecutorial power.

The Effects Of Idea Elaboration On Unconscious Plagiarism, Louisa-Jayne Stark

School of Psychology Theses

Rates of unconscious plagiarism were investigated using Brown and Murphy's 3-stage paradigm. Initially, participants completed the creative Alternate Uses Test (generation phase) and then at test, recalled their original ideas (recall-own phase) and generated new ideas (generate-new phase). In both of the testing phases, participants plagiarised by reporting someone else's ideas as either their own idea or a new idea. Plagiarism rates increased over a one week retention interval (Experiment 2) and both active and passive participants were equally likely to plagiarise someone else's idea as a new idea (Experiment 1). When an elaboration phase was incorporated into the paradigm, …

Consumer Sensory Acceptance And Value Of Domestic, Canadian, And Australian Grass-Fed Beef Steaks, B. M. Sitz, Chris R. Calkins, D. M. Feuz, W. J. Umberger, Kent M. Eskridge

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

To determine US consumer acceptance and value of beef from various countries, 24 taste panels of consumers (n = 273 consumers) were conducted in Denver and Chicago. Two pairs of strip steaks were evaluated for flavor, juiciness, tenderness, and overall acceptability on eight-point hedonic scales. One pair consisted of an Australian grass-fed strip steak and a domestic strip steak, whereas the other pair included Canadian and domestic strip steaks. The pairs were matched to similar Warner-Bratzler shear values and marbling scores to decrease variation associated with tenderness and juiciness. A variation of the Vickery auction was used to obtain silent, …

Effects Of Corn Moisture And Degradable Intake Protein Concentration On Finishing Cattle Performance, Joshua R. Benton, Galen E. Erickson, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Casey N. Macken, Kyle J. Vander Pol

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A finishing trial was conducted to determine the effects of corn moisture and degradable intake protein level on cattle performance. Diets consisted of 65% processed corn, either dry-rolled, high-moisture at 24% or 30% moisture, or reconstituted dry corn at 28% or 35% moisture. Degradable intake protein levels were evaluated by adding 0%, 0.45% or 0.90% urea (DM basis). Supplementing 0.45% urea increased performance and sufficiently met degradable intake protein requirements. Diets containing high-moisture and reconstituted corn improved cattle performance compared to diets containing dry-rolled corn. Increasing the moisture of ensiled corn further enhanced the feeding value of corn by improving …

Effect Of High Roughage And High Energy Diets On Body Temperature, Sheryl L. Colgan, Terry L. Mader

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Four heifers were used in two trials comparing the effect of high energy and high roughage diets on three body temperature measurements. Body temperatures were measured in the vagina, in the ear canal near the tympanic membrane, and in the rumen. The high roughage diet lowered all three measures of body temperatures as compared with the high energy diet. Vaginal, tympanic, and ruminal temperature all appeared to effectively measure body temperature as they followed the same diurnal cycle; however, ruminal temperatures were, on average, 0.5 to 1.4°F higher than other body temperature measures.

Comparison Of Two Development Systems For March-Born Replacement Beef Heifers, Kelly W. Creighton, Jacqueline A. Musgrave, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Richard T. Clark, Don C. Adams

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A three-year study (2001-2003) was conducted to determine the effect of development system on reproductive performance of first-calf heifers. March-born heifers (n=261) were developed to reach either 55% of mature body weight (MBW) before a 45-day breeding season or 50% of MBW before a 60-day breeding season. Extending the breeding season 15 days for heifers developed to 50% of MBW prior to the first breeding season resulted in equal pregnancy, calving and weaning rates to heifers developed to 55% of MBW. Furthermore, the reduction in development costs in the 50% of MBW system more than offset the reduced income from …

Evaluation Of Initial Implants For Finishing Steers, Jeffrey D. Folmer, Travis B. Farran, Galen E. Erickson, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Chris D. Reinhardt, Bill D. Dicke, Jim S. Drouillard

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A commercial feedlot experiment utilizing 12 pens and 1038 steers evaluated initial implant strategies for feedlot steers. Steers were administered either Revalor-IS® or Synovex S® at initial processing. Both treatment groups received Revalor-S® as a terminal implant. Revalor-IS® as an initial implant improved hot carcass weight and carcass adjusted final weight; however, there was no effect on any other measure of performance or carcass characteristics. Selling steers on a carcass merit basis resulted in a similar return per head for both implant strategies. Reduced-dose combination implants may improve hot carcass weight and carcass adjusted final weight with no impact on …

Reproductive Response In Heifers Fed Soybeans During Post Weaning Development, Heidi L. Harris, Andrea S. Cupp, Kelly W. Creighton, Rex Davis, James R. Teichert, Richard N. Funston

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Three experiments were conducted to determine effects of soybeans on reproduction in heifers. In Experiment 1, heifers received whole soybeans or control diet with wet corn gluten feed for 110 days. Heifers receiving soybeans had decreased synchronization rate and delayed estrous response. Diet did not affect AI conception, AI pregnancy, or final pregnancy rates. In Experiments 2 and 3, heifers received supplements of ground soybeans or dried distillers grains. Heifers in Experiment 2 were predominantly prepubertal and supplemented 161 days. Heifers in Experiment 3 were postpubertal and supplemented 30 days. Heifers fed soybeans had larger dominant follicles than those fed …

Direct-Fed Microbial Products For Escherichia Coli O157:H7 In Market Ready Feedlot Cattle, Robert E. Peterson, David R. Smith, Jeffrey D. Folmer, Galen E. Erickson, Susan Hinkley, Rodney A. Moxley

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A clinical trial was conducted during the summers of 2002 and 2003 to evaluate the effect of a direct-fed microbial product (DFM) on the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in feces of feedlot steers. The DFM consisted of Lactobacillus acidophilus (NPC 747) fed at the rate of 1x109 colony forming units (CFUs) per head per day. Treatments included supplemental DFM or no supplemental DFM. Feedlot steers supplemented with DFM were 35% less likely to shed E. coli O157:H7 in the feces compared with steers that were not supplemented with the DFM. Finishing performance was not affected by adding a DFM …

Pre-Rigor Water Injection And Post-Rigor Sodium Citrate Treatment On Beef Tenderness, Bethany M. Sitz, Pennapa Matayompong, Christian D. Perversi, Chris R. Calkins

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Thoracic limbs from 20 beef steers were used as post-rigor controls, prerigor controls (removed pre-rigor), or treated with combinations of sodium citrate and/or water to evaluate the effect of citrate on meat tenderness. Shear force values on steaks from the infraspinatus, supraspinatus and triceps brachii muscles revealed citratetreated muscles were more tender than water and post-rigor control treatments. It appears sodium citrate can tenderize meat independent of water injection.