Digital Commons Network^™

Communicating The Obesity Crisis: The Role Of Public Relations And The Media In Framing A National Health Issue, Kimberly Jaindl

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Communication of obesity as a public health issue has taken many forms and been framed in a variety of ways since early 2000. These communications often frame the public’s perception of the problem and of potential solutions. This study examines the current perceptions and actions according to several groups, including the government, the food industry, individuals, the media, and public relations professionals. It then attempts to assess the framing of the issue, including perceptions and actions, by the print media and public relations professionals. A census of newspaper articles and press releases from a one-month time period in late 2004 …

Russian Organized Crime And The National Security Of The United States, Jessica Nelson

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This thesis examines the impact of Russian organized crime on the national security of the United States. It begins by defining why Russian organized crime should be of concern to U.S. policymakers addressing the effects of Russian organized crime on the U.S. economy, national security, and domestic law enforcement. The thesis then analyzes the evolution of Russian organized crime from its emergence during the Soviet Union, through its growth during privatization, to its structural transformation in the modern era. This analysis establishes the fundamental principles of any potential U.S. policy on Russian organized crime and prompts several policy recommendations for …

The Relationship Between Psychopathology In Caregivers And Their Children With Asthma, Jaime L. Benson

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Asthma is the leading chronic illness among children, and children with asthma have an increased risk not only for physical problems, but also for social and emotional difficulties related to their asthma. These risks are compounded when children have a caregiver who is depressed. The effects of maternal depression for children are complex and have been shown to persist into adolescence and adulthood. This is especially important because children with asthma, who are already at risk for psychopathology, may have increased internalizing and externalizing problems when their primary caregivers have depression or display depressive symptoms. Because depression affects cognitive functioning …

Uncontrolled Earnings Management-Financial Enhancement Or Downfall?, Kevin A. Costello

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Since the turn of the century it has become undeniably apparent that many corporations, regardless of their size, have resorted to falsifying financial records in an attempt to mask the true financial health of the company. The reasons for such actions vary from attempts to shore up investor confidence to ensuring perks for corporate executives. These scandalous acts are not a characteristic of a certain type of business. They have occurred across a wide array of businesses including, but not limited to, power and energy, insurance, and telecommunications.

The most common form of record falsification comes in the form of …

University Of Alaska Anchorage Commencement Program May 2005, N/A N/A

Commencement

These official programs are distributed to attendees of the annual commencement ceremonies. The programs include the event schedule as well as the degrees and honors awarded, listing recipients of the degrees and honors. May 2005

Assessment Of Student Skills For Critiquing Published Primary Scientific Literature: Using A Primary Trait Analysis Scale, Manuel F. Varela, Marvin M.F. Lutnesky, Marcy P. Osgood

Biology Faculty Publications (Archived)

Instructor evaluation of progressive student skills in the analysis of primary literature is critical for the development of these skills in young scientists. Students in a senior or graduate-level one-semester course in Immunology at a Masters-level comprehensive university were assessed for abilities (primary traits) to recognize and evaluate the following elements of a scientific paper: Hypothesis and Rationale, Significance, Methods, Results, Critical Thinking and Analysis, and Conclusions. We tested the hypotheses that average recognition scores vary among elements and that scores change with time differently by trait. Recognition scores (scaled 1 to 5), and differences in scores were analyzed using …

How Diverse Librarians Increased Access To Electronic Journals, Developed A Print/Electronic Collection Development Policy And Preserved The Collection, Kathe Obrig, Patricia Wilson, Cynthia Swope, Laura E. Abate, Anne Linton

Himmelfarb Library Faculty Posters and Presentations

This poster reports on a project initiated to establish a framework for evaluating our serials collection in order to preserve the collection from a flat budget and ever increasing serial costs and to meet patron demand for expanded access to electronic resources. An additional outcome was the development of a combined print and electronic serials collection development policy. A Journals Committee was formed to assess the value and most appropriate format(s) of individual journal titles. Methods used included a mathematical formula calculating a title's relative value and a faculty survey soliciting most-used titles and preferred format. Faculty department heads were …

The Future Of Same-Sex Marriage After Lawrence V. Texas And The Election Of 2004, Jack B. Harrison

University of Dayton Law Review

No abstract provided.

Reproductive Success Of Chestnut-Collared Longspurs In Native And Exotic Grassland, J. D. Lloyd, Thomas E. Martin

Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications

Habitat loss and fragmentation have been identified as important factors in the decline of grassland bird populations. However, population declines are apparent even in prairie ecosystems that remain relatively intact suggesting that additional factors are involved. The degradation of breeding habitat may be one such factor, but few studies have examined habitat-specific demography of grassland birds, and thus little is known of how changes in breeding habitat may be related to population declines. We addressed this question by comparing reproductive success of Chestnut-collared Longspurs (Calcarius ornatus) in patches of native prairie and in monocultures of crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum), a …

Exotic Invasive Elm Bark Beetle, Scolytus Kirschii, Detected In South Africa, Diana Six, Z. W. De Beer, R. A. Beaver, L. Visser, M. J. Wingfield

Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Faculty Publications

In February 2005, the exotic bark beetle, Scolytus kirschii (Curculionidae: Scolytinae), was detected infesting English elms (Ulmus procera) in Stellenbosch, South Africa. This appears to be the first report of an infestation of Scolytus species in this country. The presence of this beetle is of concern for several reasons. Scolytus kirschii is a serious pest of elms, capable of killing healthy trees, resulting in considerable economic impact. There also exists the possibility that the beetle may undergo a host switch to indigenous trees, with potentially serious ecological consequences. Furthermore, the beetle is capable of being the vector of the pathogens …

Deep-Uv Light Emitting Diodes: An Experimental Investigation Of Characterization And Optimization Techniques, Eric M. Fraser

Pomona Senior Theses

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) and laser diodes (LDs) have many advantages over conventional light sources. Current commercial LEDs span the spectrum from IR to near- UV. There are a variety of applications for devices that extend into the deep-UV, including biological agent detection and optical storage. The nitride material system is a set of semiconducting compounds that have wavelengths that span a broad range, from yellow to deep-UV. AlGaN has a direct bandgap that extends into the deep-UV range; we will try to grow device-quality material, deposited epitaxially using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on sapphire substrates.

A Review Of Temporomandibular Disorder And An Analysis Of Mandibular Motion, Shawn Patrick Lehman-Grimes

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

This study quantified mandibular motion of asymptomatic subjects upon jaw opening and closing. Five males, mean age of 28 years, agreed to participate; they showed no sign or symptom of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) on clinical examination or by anamnestic history. Mandibular motion for each subject was measured with a tracking system and software utilizing the Screw Displacement Axis (SDA), which is a mathematical approach to analyzing and quantifying the movement of an object in three dimensions. Rotation and translation were calculated, as well as two- and three-dimensional charting of condylar path and sagittal condylar intercepts. Furthermore, analyses examined error propagation, …

Intragroup Subgroup Attitude Clustering, External Intervention, And Intergroup Interaction Patterns: Toward A Dynamical Model Of Protracted Intergroup Conflict, Peter T. Coleman, Adam Schneider, Douglass S. Adams, Catherine James Everett, Timothy A. Gameros, Lee R. Hammons, Cecil C. Orji, Ralph M. Waugh, Richard F. Wicker Iii

Peace and Conflict Studies

Scholars and practitioners working with protracted conflicts in polarized communities have long recognized the complex dynamics between intragroup disputes and intergroup relations in these settings. In fact, the multitude of factors interacting within and between groups in these conflicts, and their tendency to change over time, largely contributes to their intractable natures. Unfortunately, the ability of scholars to conduct research on such dynamic phenomena has been largely constrained by the atomistic, linear approach of traditional research models and methods. However, recent advances in dynamical systems theory have provided a new set of tools for developing computer simulations that allow us …

2005 Baccalaureate & Graduate Commencement, Lindenwood University

Commencement Programs

Lindenwood University Commencement program.

Inhibition Of Glutamate Dehydrogenase Reaction By Dimethylformamide; A Mathematical Kinetic Model., Derrick Goodwill

Theses (Pre-2016)

N, N-Dimethylformamide has been chosen as a potential effector to assess its allosteric influence on the enzymatic kinetics of the GDH enzyme. This study is part of a larger project designed toward determining the kinetic mechanism of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH). The purpose of this study was to characterize the effects of N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) on the forward reaction of deamination of L-glutamic acid and build a mathematical model describing the enzymatic kinetic behavior. To determine these effects, reaction assays of NAD+ alone and in the presence of ADP and/or N, N-Dimethylformamide were recorded at 340 nm. All measurements were repeated several …

Lawyer - Spring 2005, Seattle University School Of Law

Lawyer

• Dean Search Committee Members Complete a Job Well Done
• The New Dean is One of Our Own: A “First” for the State’s Largest Law School
• Homeless in Seattle: The Campus Community Gives and Learns
• The Women's Law Caucus Hosted Another "Winner"

The Fourth Amendment And Terrorism, John M. Burkoff

Penn State Law Review (2003 - Present)

No abstract provided.

Herbivore-Induced Defenses In Passiflora Biflora, May 2005, Melissa Morris

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Herbivore-induced defenses in plants save energy in the absence of herbivory (Karban et al. 1997). Despite this, Passiflora biflora has not been shown to have short-term induced defenses in past studies (Baptiste 2002). P. biflora might have a slower reaction to chronic herbivory either through greater leaf toughness or greater cyanide concentrations. To test this, leaves from three sites were assessed for herbivory defense. The first two sites were butterfly gardens with high and low populations of butterflies from the genus Heliconius, for whom Passiflora vines are the host plant. Defense levels were compared with nearby plants outside the garden …

Niche Partitioning By Frugivorous Bats In The San Luis Valley, Costa Rica, May 2005, Rachel M. Johnson

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Niche partitioning is an important form of ecological differentiation that allows two or more species to coexist. It has also been shown to be responsible for maintaining the vast diversity of bat species found in the tropics (Aguirre et al. 2002). A community of frugivorous bats in the San Luis Valley, Costa Rica, was sampled to determine the parameters of niche differentiation used by the bats. The study took place at the San Luis Ecolodge at 1100 meters in elevation in premontane wet secondary forest. Bats were mist netted using two 12-meter mist nets over seven nights in the month …

Palm Epiphylls Response To Elevation And Mist Frequency In A Costa Rican Cloud Forest: A Possible Bioindicator Of Local Climate Change, May 2005, John E. Drake

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

Recent extinctions coupled with climate changes in montane cloud forests of Costa Rica have highlighted the need to understand the biological consequences of local drying and decreased mist frequency in these ecosystems. With the intent of identifying a bioindicator of mist frequency, I performed an altitudinal transect of epiphyll cover on Geonoma fronds and an experimental manipulation of mist conditions on epiphylls of Chamaedorea fronds. Epiphyll cover on Geonoma was found to increase linearly with elevation (p < 0.0001). Percent cover of epiphylls did not respond to added mist, but the variation in epiphyll cover increased significantly with experimentally added mist (F-test, p <0.05). The ratio of liverworts to lichens was high in dry conditions and low in conditions of experimentally added mist. This ratio shows promise as a bioindicator of mist conditions in tropical montane cloud forests.

Scouting Soybean Fields For Soybean Rust, Darrell Deneke

SDSU Extension Extra Archives

The symptoms of Asian soybean rust are not distinctive or unique. Scouting soybeans for this disease will be a challenging task that will require perseverance and diligence. It will require substantial effort to differentiate this disease from all of the other diseases that may be occurring in a South Dakota soybean canopy

The Relation Between Religiosity And Late-Life Depression In A Community Sample Of Members Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Lynn Marie Franklin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A secondary analysis of extant data from The Cache County Study on Memory Health and Aging (CCSMHA), this study examines the association between religiosity and new-onset depression between baseline and 4-year follow-up interviews in a sample of 1,439 community-dwelling elderly members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), aged 65 to 100. Logistic regression models found that church attendance, voluntarism in religious groups, and direct experiences of God occurring more often than weekly were (statistically and practically) significantly associated with lower depression risk. No evidence was found for moderator effects of gender or prior depression history; however, …

Interpretación Del Análisis Del Ensilaje De Maíz, Alvaro Garcia, Nancy Thiex, Kenneth Kalscheur, Kent Tjardes

SDSU Extension Extra Archives

Los resultados del análisis del ensilaje de maíz son de poco valor si no se los comprende y se los usa. Estos resultados pueden usarse para: balancear las dietas y mejorar el futuro manejo de la cosecha si el for raje actual es de calidad cuestionable. Los resultados del análisis se expresan en “tal como recibido” y en “100% base materia seca (MS).” “Tal como recibido” a menudo se le llama también “tal como ofrecido” o “fresco.” El material en base “tal como recibido” incluye el agua o la humedad contenida en el alimento. Los nutrientes expresados en esta base …

Interpretación De Los Análisis De Henos Y Henilajes, Alvaro Garcia, Nancy Thiex, Kenneth Kalscheur, Kent Tjardes

SDSU Extension Extra Archives

Los resultados del análisis de los alimentos son de poco valor si no se los comprende y se los usa. Los resultados pueden ser usados para: (1) balancear las dietas, (2) mejorar el futuro manejo de la cosecha si el forraje actual es de calidad cuestionable, y (3) determinar precios adecuados para los alimentos basados en su valor nutritivo.

Occupational And Biopsychosocial Risk Factors For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Case-Control Study, Jason Talley Goodson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study was designed to assess the risk factors associated with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Toward this end, a wide range of putative occupational, biological, and psychosocial correlates of CTS was investigated using a case-control methodology. Cases were 87 patients from an orthopedic clinic with clinical symptoms and electrodiagnostic testing results suggestive of CTS. Controls were 74 gender-matched patients from the same orthopedic clinic, without clinical symptoms of CTS and normal electrodiagnostic testing results. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire that included eight potential occupational correlates (i.e., repetition, force, vibration, typing, lifting heavy loads, and standing on feet), 10 potential …

Myod Targets Chromatin Remodeling Complexes To The Myogenin Locus Prior To Forming A Stable Dna-Bound Complex, Ivana L. De La Serna, Yasuyuki Ohkawa, Charlotte A. Berkes, Donald A. Bergstrom, Caroline S. Dacwag, Stephen J. Tapscott Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Anthony N. Imbalzano

Biology Faculty Publications

The activation of muscle-specific gene expression requires the coordinated action of muscle regulatory proteins and chromatin-remodeling enzymes. Microarray analysis performed in the presence or absence of a dominant-negative BRG1 ATPase demonstrated that approximately one-third of MyoD-induced genes were highly dependent on SWI/SNF enzymes. To understand the mechanism of activation, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitations analyzing the myogenin promoter. We found that H4 hyperacetylation preceded Brg1 binding in a MyoD-dependent manner but that MyoD binding occurred subsequent to H4 modification and Brg1 interaction. In the absence of functional SWI/SNF enzymes, muscle regulatory proteins did not bind to the myogenin promoter, thereby providing …

Predicted Range Expansion Of The Invasive Fire Ant, Solenopsis Invicta, In The Eastern United States Based On The Vemap Global Warming Scenario, Lloyd W. Morrison, Michael D. Korzukhin, Sanford D. Porter

College of Natural and Applied Sciences

The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, is an invasive pest from South America that currently occupies much of the south-eastern USA. Global warming is likely to allow range expansion of many invasive species, including S. invicta. We used a dynamic, ecophysiological model of fire ant colony growth coupled with models simulating climate change to predict the potential range expansion of S. invicta in the eastern USA over the next century. The climate change scenario predicted by the Vegetation-Ecosystem Modelling and Analysis Project (VEMAP) was used in our analyses. Our predictions indicate that the habitable area for S. invicta …

Are Political Orientations Genetically Transmitted?, John R. Alford, Carolyn L. Funk, John R. Hibbing

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

We test the possibility that political attitudes and behaviors are the result of both environmental and genetic factors. Employing standard methodological approaches in behavioral genetics—–specifically, comparisons of the differential correlations of the attitudes of monozygotic twins and dizygotic twins—–we analyze data drawn from a large sample of twins in the United States, supplemented with findings from twins in Australia. The results indicate that genetics plays an important role in shaping political attitudes and ideologies but a more modest role in forming party identification; as such, they call for finer distinctions in theorizing about the sources of political attitudes. We conclude …

Evidence For A Weak Galactic Center Magnetic Field From Diffuse Low Frequency Nonthermal Radio Emission, Ted N. Larosa, C. L. Brogan, S. N. Shore, T. J. Lazio, N. E. Kassim, M. E. Nord

Faculty Articles

New low-frequency 74 and 330 MHz observations of the Galactic center (GC) region reveal the presence of a large-scale (6° × 2°) diffuse source of nonthermal synchrotron emission. A minimum-energy analysis of this emission yields a total energy of ~(4/7f3/7) × 1052 ergs and a magnetic field strength of ~6(/f)2/7 μG (where is the proton to electron energy ratio and f is the filling factor of the synchrotron emitting gas). The equipartition particle energy density is 1.2(/f)2/7 eV cm-3, a value consistent with cosmic-ray data. However, the derived magnetic field is several orders of …

Water Uptake And Transport In Lianas And Co-Occurring Trees Of A Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest, Jose Luis Andrade, Frederick C. Meinzer, Stefan A. Schnitzer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Water uptake and transport were studied in eight liana species in a seasonally dry tropical forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Stable hydrogen isotope composition (δD) of xylem and soil water, soil volumetric water content (θ_v), and basal sap flow were measured during the 1997 and 1998 dry seasons. Sap flow of several neighboring trees was measured to assess differences between lianas and trees in magnitudes and patterns of daily sap flow. Little seasonal change in θ_v was observed at 90–120 cm depth in both years. Mean soil water δD during the dry season was −19‰ at …