Digital Commons Network^™

The Development And Optimization Of Microbial Molecular Biomarkers For The In Situ Assessment Of Trace Metal Toxicity, Nicolas James Bouskill

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Microorganisms are fundamental components of many geochemical transformations occurring in the aquatic environment. Microbial redox and methylation of metals within the environment can alter metal speciation, mobility and ultimately, toxicity to eukaryotes. It is therefore practical that any environmental monitoring framework advocating the application of `early-warning biomarker system' should incorporate a holistic view of the environment beginning with microbial activity. This thesis describes the development of protocols for assessing the in situ condition of microbial ecosystems within a gradient of metal contaminated sites radiating downstream of the Anaconda Smelter, a USEPA-designated superfund site and within two control sites. Experiments focus …

Impact Of Fish Farms On Maerl Beds In Strongly Tidal Areas, J Hall-Spencer, N White, E Gillespie, K Gillham, A Foggo

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Phenotypic And Genetic Effects Of Chernobyl-Derived Radionuclide Contamination On The Red-Eyed Damselfly Erythromma Najas (Odonata, Coenagrionidae), Claire Rebecca Cailes

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The 1986 Chernobyl accident released large amounts of radioactive contamination into the surrounding environment. As a result, the Chernobyl region provides a suitable site for investigations into the effects of ionising radiation on non-human biota. Studies of this type are important in order to establish whether or not current anthropocentric radiation protection guidelines are appropriate for the protection of the wider environment. Despite the presence of many freshwater habitats in the region, there have been few studies investigating the effects of radiation on aquatic invertebrates. In the present study, the effects of Chernobyl-derived radionuclide contamination on the red-eyed damselfly, Erythromma …

Multi-Scale Variability In Phytoplankton Populations Of The North Atlantic Basin: From Eddies To Global Change, Sophie C. Leterme

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey has been deployed since 1931 to describe and analyze plankton variability in the North Atlantic and North Sea. This survey measures the presence and abundance of 437 phytoplankton and zooplankton taxa and provides an assessment of phytoplankton biomass, the Phytoplankton Colour Index (VCI). The diatoms and dinoflagellates are the two main phytoplankton groups identified by the CPR survey. The first part of this work provides insights into the space-time dynamics of phytoplankton communities through an analysis of diatom and dinoflagellate populations in the whole North Atlantic basin. Because the North Atlantic Ocean includes many …

Arch-Os V1.1 (Architecture Operating Systems), Software For Buildings, M Phillips, C Speed

School of Art, Design and Architecture

No abstract provided.

Molecular Ecology Of Marine Algal Viruses, Joaquin Martinez Martinez

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

In this study phytoplankton viruses were investigated from a point of view of their genotypic richness, ecology and role in controlling two microalgae species: Emiliania huxleyi and Phaeocystis pouchetii. Host specificity determined for Emiliania huxleyi-virus (EhV) isolates revealed a highly variable host range suggesting a relation between virus specificity and genetic or phenotypic variations within E. huxleyi strains and EhVs. Subsequently the dynamics and genetic richness of Emiliania huxleyi and EhVs were monitored in mesocosm experiments and during the progression of a natural bloom in the sea. The results confirmed the role of virus infection in regulating the intraspecific succession …

2006 Weed Science Research Report – Yellow Section, Ndsu Weed Science, Dept. Of Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences Weed Science Reports

The Weed Science team at North Dakota State University conduct field research in the State of North Dakota. This specific document reports on field research conducted in 2006 It includes work on several minor crops and the management of several weeds in North Dakota.

Exploring Intersectionality In Education: The Intersection Of Gender, Race, Disability, And Class, Amy J. Petersen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to explore the intersection of gender, race, disability, and class within education. Specifically, I examined the educational experiences of African American women labeled with a disability and from a disadvantaged socio-economic class. Employing qualitative methodology and methods, I interviewed four adult African American women from disadvantaged socio-economic groups to gain a deeper understanding of their lived educational experiences.

The story that emerged from this research was each participant's strength. Their stories revealed that each woman persistently and continually engaged in the world around them in order to negotiate, evade, and resist the dominant ideology …

What Happened To Dad: A Portrayal Of Teenage Fathers In Young Adult Literature, Becky R. Schafer Andrews

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to see if authors of realistic fiction accurately portray the characteristics of teenage fathers. Abundant fictional novels on the topic of teenage pregnancy are in print; however, most seemed concerned with teen mothers and neglect teen fathers. How teen fathers react to being told about the conception to accepting responsibility for their actions was evaluated through a checklist. This research demonstrated that a realistic portrayal of teen fathers is absent from much young adult fiction. In sharing this research with others it is in hopes that more authors will give teen fathers a more …

Correlation Between Acculturation And Health Promotion Behavior Among Hispanics/Latinos In Black Hawk County, Iowa, Ki-Hyung Park

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The elimination of the health disparities between different segments of population such as ethnic or racial minority groups in the United States is one of the principal goals of Healthy People 2010. Since 2002, the Hispanic/Latino population has been the largest minority group in the United States, and currently Hispanic/Latinos are the largest minority group in Iowa. The study assesses the relationships among health status, health promoting behavior, and acculturation of Hispanic/Latino immigrants in Black Hawk County, Iowa. A community sample of 54 adults completed a face-to-face structured interview. The instrumentation included the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II (ARSMA-II), …

Shhhhh! The Negative Effect Of Librarian Stereotypes On Junior High Students, Kerry Lust

Graduate Research Papers

Librarians are often portrayed negatively in media. The stereotypical spinster librarian with her hair in a bun and glasses on a chain around her neck has often been portrayed in books, television, and movies. Junior high students are great consumers of all types of media and have often been exposed to this stereotype. This study investigated four questions. What are the characteristics of the librarian stereotype? What are characteristics of junior high students that make them especially easy targets for media influence? Is there a set of characteristics which junior high students attribute to librarians? Can we say that media …

Problem Based Learning, Susan Tebbe

Graduate Research Papers

The No Child Left Behind legislation brought about a flurry of conversations regarding student achievement (McElroy, 2006). Increased use of standardized testing to measure student achievement has resulted in a discussion of teaching models. Is the transmission teaching model with its expository style the only mode to insure student success? Or is the constructivist teaching model with its inquiry style a mode that better leads to student success? This review of literature examines the instructional practices involved in problem based learning, a constructivist approach. The paper focuses on the components of problem-based learning, the benefits and challenges of using this.approach, …

Constraint On Leisure: An Autoethnography Of Constraining Factors In My Leisure Experience, Leila Ghayoor-Rod

Graduate Research Papers

This research paper will review the literature related to constraint on leisure and the factors that determine participation and non-participation in variety of leisure activities. This study clarifies existing review of literature by an autoethnography of my lived experiences regarding leisure activities. My personal narrative explains some of the barriers that I as a woman faced in my leisure activities living in American society which were influenced by the way activities and environment are designed. Finally, the last chapter has some recommendations and suggestions to leisure service providers regarding how they can eliminate or reduce constraints on leisure and create …

Mom's The Word: The Portrayal Of The Single Mother/Son Relationship In Children's Literature, Sheryl Renee Haveman

Graduate Research Papers

Our culture is abounding with boys being raised solely by their mother. Awareness of the impact of divorce and the importance of a male role model for a young boy has increased and is represented in literature. Authors of children's literature have been continuing the tradition of dealing openly and honestly with many society issues. Despite the large number of books that include single mothers and their sons, the researcher questioned whether or not children's picture and chapter books were accurately portraying the dynamics involved with the single mother/son relationship.

The purpose of this study was to examine children's literature …

The Analysis And Characterisation Of Rotavirus And Norovirus Circulating In The South Of Ireland, Norma Reidy

Theses

On average more than 3,000 cases of rotavirus diarrhea are detected annually amongst Irish children less than 3 years of age. Rotavirus disease occurs mainly during the winter months, with peak infections detected from February to April. The symptoms of disease are diarrhea and dehydration, with 80% of patients requiring hospitalisation, The mean duration of hospitalisation is 3-4 days, with an average cost per day of €409. Eighteen percent of infections were detected in infants less than 6 months of age, suggesting inadequate maternal derived protection from existing strains, or the existence of novel strains in Ireland with little or …

The Development Of Functional Food Ingredients From Yeast Cell Wall Beta Glucans, Susan Keogh

Theses

The intracellular contents of spent yeast can be used to produce flavours and flavour enhancers. However there still remains after this process, a significant quantity of cell wall material, which makes up 20-25% of the dry weight of yeast biomass. A major component of the yeast cell wall is the polysaccharide P-glucan. This project involved the investigation of the extraction and characterisation of p-glucan as well as its evaluation as a functional food ingredient. A preparation of spent yeast p-glucan was obtained from two types of spent yeast species, Saccharomyces cervisiae (brewers yeast) and Kluyveromyces marxianus (dairy yeast) obtained from …

Catalog Denison University 2006-2007

Denison University Catalogs

Denison University Course Catalog 2006-2007

Analysis Of Epstein-Barr Virus Reservoirs In Paired Blood And Breast Cancer Primary Biopsy Specimens By Real Time Pcr., R Serene Perkins, Katherine Sahm, Cindy Marando, Diana Dickson-Witmer, Gregory R Pahnke, Mark Mitchell, Nicholas J Petrelli, Irving M Berkowitz, Patricia Soteropoulos, Virginie M Aris, Stephen P Dunn, Leslie J Krueger

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is present in over 90% of the world's population. This infection is considered benign, even though in limited cases EBV is associated with infectious and neoplastic conditions. Over the past decade, the EBV association with breast cancer has been constantly debated. Adding to this clinical and biological uncertainty, different techniques gave contradictory results for the presence of EBV in breast carcinoma specimens. In this study, minor groove binding (MGB)-TaqMan real time PCR was used to detect the presence of EBV DNA in both peripheral blood and tumor samples of selected patients. METHODS: Peripheral blood and breast …

Spiritual Capital, Danah Zohar

International Journal of Servant-Leadership

Good morning, everybody. I'm as happy as you are to be at this conference again. I think it's my favorite conference. My second favorite is the conference that Peter Senge runs, every November or December, the Soul Conference or the Systems Theory Conference. What's nice about both of these conferences is that they are more than conferences, they've built a community around them and you see old friends and there's a great spirit of community at the conferences, and that makes them both very special. And the theme of servant-leadership brings out the nicest people. I'm going to talk this …

Tick Pheromones And Their Use In Tick Control, Daniel E. Sonenshine

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Tick pheromones that regulate assembly, attraction/aggregation/attachment, and mating behavior have been described. Most of the compounds regulating these behaviors are purines, substituted phenols, or cholesteryl esters. Other pheromonal compounds include organic acids, hematin, or ecdysteroids. Novel devices have been developed that combine the specific compounds comprising these pheromones with an acaricide. When applied to tick-infested vegetation or directly to the body surfaces of livestock or companion animals, these devices are effective for tick control. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge of tick pheromones. In addition, this review also presents examples illustrating how devices using tick pheromones can offer …

The Adaptive Value Of Aggregation Among Juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobster: An Evaluation Using Individual-Based Modeling, Thomas W. Dolan Iii, Mark J. Butler Iv

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ontogenetic changes in gregariousness by pre-reproductive animals, like that observed in juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus), may be adaptive and reflect size-specific changes in the effectiveness of aggregation in promoting survival. Alternatively, aggregation may simply result from changes in the distribution or availability of suitable habitat structure, or from other behaviors that enhance survival. There are currently two hypotheses explaining the potential benefits of gregarious behavior in juvenile spiny lobsters, both of which focus on increasing survivorship by reducing predation pressure: the group benefit hypothesis and the guide hypothesis. The group benefit hypothesis argues that aggregations of …

Digging Mechanisms And Substrate Preferences Of Shovel Nosed Lobsters, Ibacus Peronii (Decapoda: Scyllaridae), Zen Faulkes

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Digging is a distinct form of locomotion that poses different mechanical problems than other locomotor modes that are commonly used by crustaceans, e.g., walking, swimming. I examined the mechanisms of digging by shovel nosed lobsters (Ibacus peronii), which spend most of the day underneath sand. Ibacus peronii were videotaped while digging. Ibacus peronii use a “wedge” strategy to submerge into sand. An individual penetrates the sand with the walking legs, then extends the abdomen to push sand backwards, then flexes the abdomen while pushing backward with the legs, which slowly drives the body into the sand. This basic …

Design And Implementation Of Preparation Strategies For Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System Stakeholders, Judith Josephs

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to provide better access to current preparation strategies for passing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test. The test preparation strategies did not meet the needs of the students. The students did not know how to use the computer to study for the test and did not know how to study at home for the test. Teachers also did not know of the availability of electronic information to enrich their lessons and increase the achievement of vocational high school students.

The researcher developed strategies to train students and teachers on Bridges Transitions (1999) testGEAR and …

Till Death Do Us Part: Marriage, Hiv/Aids And The Law In Zimbabwe, Slyvia Chirawu

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The article argues that marriage, cultural practices, and legal frameworks in Zimbabwe disproportionately expose women to HIV/AIDS, with marriage paradoxically increasing their vulnerability despite societal expectations of protection. It contends that legal reforms alone are insufficient to address this issue, emphasizing the need for transformative gender equity to challenge the deeply rooted power imbalances and cultural norms that perpetuate women's susceptibility to HIV infection.

Annotated Legal Bibliography On Gender

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Age Matters: The Cognitive Strategies And Benefits Of Learning Among College-Degreed Older Adults, Bruce Campbell

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explored learning among college-degreed adults who were 60 to 98 years of age. Its purpose was three-fold. It sought to describe what participants learned, the cognitive strategies they used, and the perceived benefits they gained from learning. Study participants included 35 adults with a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree. Twenty were men and fifteen were women. All claimed to be active learners at the outset of the study. Descriptive research methodology was used for data collection. It consisted of interviews using both phenomenological and semi-structured questions and a focus group that elaborated upon interview results. Data indicated that: …

What's The Hold-Up? Making The Case For Lifetime Orders Of Protection In New York State, Jennifer Rios

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note advocates for the implementation of lifetime or extended orders of protection in New York State to better safeguard domestic violence victims. It highlights the limitations of the current legal framework, which requires victims to repeatedly seek renewals of protective orders, and argues that longer or indefinite orders would reduce trauma and enhance safety. The analysis draws on comparative examples from states like New Jersey and California to support its proposal for stronger legal measures.

A Switch From Polyandry To Serial Monogamy: Results From A Three Year Tagging Study Of Horseshoe Crabs In Long Island Sound, Jennifer Mattei Ph.D., Paul Goodell, Christine Depierro, Meghann Burke

Biology Faculty Publications

Part of an ongoing population study of the North American Horseshoe Crab, Limulus polyphemus, in Long Island Sound was completed during the 2003 – 2005 spawning seasons at Milford Point, in Milford, CT. Horseshoe crabs range more widely throughout Long Island Sound than expected and exhibit weak site fidelity. Animals originally tagged in Milford were found as far west as Stamford and as far east as Clinton, CT. during the 3 year study. Out of 522 female horseshoe crabs tagged in 2004 only 4 came back to spawn again at Milford Pt. in 2005. The sex ratios of tagged and …

The Cost Of Our Counties, Katherine Mayse, Brian A. Hernandez, Mark Mahoney, Meredith Grunke, Michele Brown, Jessica Donovan, Danielle Welty, John Bender

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Media

This series of 15 stories examines County government in Nebraska -- how it came to be as it is, what it does. what it costs, and what it means to the people who live in central and western Nebraska. The stories were reported and written by students in the Depth Reporting class at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Cooperating in publication of the 15-part series were the Kearney Hub, North Platte Telegraph, and Scottsbluff Star-Herald.

Contents
Series looks at questions of state's county structure
Despite job's big changes, career lawman still is …

Evidence For Association Between The Hla-Dqa Locus And Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms In The Belgian Population: A Case Control Study, Toru Ogata, Lucie Gregoire, Katrina Ab Goddard, Magdalena Skunca, Gerard Tromp, Wayne D. Lancaster, Antonio R. Parrado, Qing Lu, Hidenori Shibamura, Natzi Sakalihasan, Raymond Limet, Gerald L. Mackean, Claudette Arthur, Taijiro Sueda, Helena Kuivaniemi

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Chronic inflammation and autoimmunity likely contribute to the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of autoimmunity in the etiology of AAAs using a genetic association study approach with HLA polymorphisms.

Methods

HLA-DQA1, -DQB1, -DRB1 and -DRB3-5 alleles were determined in 387 AAA cases (180 Belgian and 207 Canadian) and 426 controls (269 Belgian and 157 Canadian) by a PCR and single-strand oligonucleotide probe hybridization assay.

Results

We observed a potential association with the HLA-DQA1 locus among Belgian males (empirical p = 0.027, asymptotic p = 0.071). Specifically, there …