Digital Commons Network^™

Beyond Belief: On The Uses Of Creedal Confession, Jerome Gellman

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Natural Providence: Reply To Dembski, Michael J. Murray

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase Protects Cardiomyocytes During Hyperoxia, Mervat Elsayed Ali

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Reactive oxygen species are implicated in tissue damage in many cardiovascular diseases. The current study was designed to test the hypothesis that exposure to high inspired oxygen concentrations (100%) damages cardiac mitochondria and that a biogenic response is needed for cell survival. The study was done in mice with a transgene (TG) for extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) or with the EC-SOD gene knockout (KO). Adult EC-SOD mice and their wild type littermates and EC-SOD KO mice and their wild type littermates were exposed to 100% oxygen for 6 hours and for 72 hours, and the hearts were subsequently removed under …

Learning As A Nonlinear Line Of Attraction For Pattern Association, Classification And Recognition, Ming-Jung Seow

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Development of a mathematical model for learning a nonlinear line of attraction is presented in this dissertation, in contrast to the conventional recurrent neural network model in which the memory is stored in an attractive fixed point at discrete location in state space. A nonlinear line of attraction is the encapsulation of attractive fixed points scattered in state space as an attractive nonlinear line, describing patterns with similar characteristics as a family of patterns.

It is usually of prime imperative to guarantee the convergence of the dynamics of the recurrent network for associative learning and recall. We propose to alter …

Defensin Transcript Distribution In Tissues And Life Stages Of The Ixodid Ticks Amblyomma Americanum And Ixodes Scapularis, Stephanie M. Todd

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A number of bacterial, viral, and protozoan diseases are transmitted to humans via arthropods. Arthropods possess an innate immune system to destroy invading microorganisms. However, arthropods unable to rid their systems of pathogens function as disease vectors. The American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, destroys invading Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes, preventing transmission. In contrast, the black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis, which is unable to destroy acquired B. burgdorferi, successfully vectors the pathogen. The Lone Star tick, Amblyomma americanum, vectors a similar pathogen called Borrelia lonestari. The distribution of defensin, an antimicrobial peptide of the innate immune system, was examined in A. americanum and/. …

Fortnightly Variability At The Transition Between Two Sub-Estuaries, Mayra Lorena Riveron Enzastiga

OES Theses and Dissertations

Profiles of current velocity from an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and of water salinity, temperature and density from a Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) recorder, were combined with surface salinity, temperature and density from a Conductivity-Temperature (CT) recorder to elucidate the fortnightly variability at the Lafayette River entrance. The Lafayette River connects at its mouth with the Elizabeth River, which is a tributary to the James River in the Chesapeake Bay. Data were collected in four experiments during consecutive spring and neap tides in the autumn of 2000, and in the spring of 2001. Each experiment was carried out for -25 hours …

Molecular Analysis Of The Effects Of Atrazine On Xenopus Laevis Frogs, Ronald Edward Celestine

Dissertations

Atrazine, the most commonly used herbicide in the U.S., has been implicated as one of the factors that may be causing the worldwide decline of amphibians. First, I examined effects of atrazine on laboratory raised Xenopus laevis tadpoles, treated from 5 days post fertilization to NF stage 65/66 with a concentrationof 25 ppb of atrazine. This study showed no significant difference in body weight, length and metamorphic rate.

Second, I used DNA microarrays to examine mRNA expression levels of genes in atrazine treated and control Xenopus laevis tadpoles. I found significant changes in gene expression levels of 18 genes. These …

Transparency In Communication: An Examination Of Communication Journals’ Conflicts-Of-Interest Policies, Lawrence Soley, Sarah Bonewits Feldner

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

Increased corporate-sponsored university research and professorial consulting has caused medical, psychological, and other scientific journals to adopt conflicts-of-interest disclosure policies. This study examines editorial policies concerning conflicts of interest at communication journals in the context of Habermas’s theory of communicative action. The results show that communication journals do not have the same mandatory disclosure requirements that journals of other disciplines have. In this regard, communication research journals are similar to the mass media. Consequently, the article suggests that disclosure policies are needed if communication research journals are to function as part of a larger dialogic process. Moreover, communication researchers are …

Taking Statistics Doesn’T Have To Be Scary: Keeping The Heartrate Down, Heegyoung Song, John R. Slate

Essays in Education

In this paper, the authors examined how a well-developed graduate-level statistics course that uses online technologies scaffolds students who are in M.A. degree and Ph.D. programs to become less anxious and to become more motivated towards developing statistical and technological skills and knowledge. The significant emphases upon which these authors will focus upon are the following instructor characteristics: 1) Ability to communicate statistics at a level that students can understand; 2) Desire to provide the students with quality online learning materials; 3) Multiple teaching strategies; 4) Interpersonal skills for interaction with students; 5) Ability to use technology; and, 6) Dedication …

Newsletter, Snail Kite, Volume 32, No. 3, Summer 2006, Tom Palmer

Florida Ornithological Society - Records - Full Collection

Summer 2006 edition of Snail Kite, a publication of the Florida Ornithological Society. Includes discussions of Ivory-billed woodpecker survival, requests for assistance, list of Florida birding spots, member news, and list of officers.

Beyond The Dsm-Iv: Assumptions, Alternatives, And Alterations, Shane J. Lopez, Lisa M. Edwards, Jennifer J. Teramoto Pedrotti, Ellie C. Prosser, Stephanie Larue, Susan Vehige Spalitto, Jon C. Ulven

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

Current diagnostic processes reflect the limitations and utility of the framework of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Clinical information in the DSM-IV's 5-axis system almost exclusively focuses on weaknesses and pathology and is summarized in a flawed categorical system. Hence, the authors describe 3 adjunctive, or alternative, means of conceptualizing behavior; several means of altering the current DSM-IV system; and 2 future directions in the diagnosis of strengths.

Rethinking Rational Discrimination Against Ex-Offenders, Jocelyn Simonson

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Temporal Calcium Response Of Jurkat Cells To Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields, Shaka Shakar Scarlett

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF) of megavolt per meter field strengths can interact with subcellular structures [1] and consequently trigger a variety of biological events. The exposure can induce apoptosis, as well as an array of differential "sub-lethal effects." One of the most sensitive and immediate responses is the increase in intracellular calcium concentration in pulsed cells [2], [3][4].We investigated the response of Jurkat cells (a human leukemic cell line) to nsPEFs of 60 ns duration and field strengths from 25 tol00 kV/cm. The development of the induced calcium response in individual cells was studied by spinning-disc confocal microscopy with …

Dimensionality Reduction Using Non-Linear Principal Components Analysis, Tara Singh

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Advances in data collection and storage capabilities during the past decades have led to an information overload in most sciences. Traditional statistical methods break down partly because of the increase in the number of observations, but mostly because of the increase in the number of variables associated with each observation. While certain methods can construct predictive models with high accuracy from high-dimensional data, it is still of interest in many applications to reduce the dimension of the original data prior to any modeling of the data. Patterns in the data can be hard to find in data of high dimensionality, …

Continuously Stratified Flow Dynamics Over A Hollow, David Salas-Monreal

OES Theses and Dissertations

Acoustic Doppler current profiles (ADCP) and density profiles were measured over three lower Chesapeake Bay bathymetric depressions (hollows) in order to determine the effects of a hollow on a continuously stratified flow. Measurements showed an acceleration of the near-bottom flow as it moved toward the deepest part of the hollows, in contrast to the deceleration expected from two-dimensional Bernoulli-type dynamics. The acceleration was attributed to lateral water intrusions that were most apparent during floods. The presence of lateral water intrusions was corroborated by observations in a transverse section that crossed the deepest part of the hollows. The observed deceleration of …

Evidence For Absence Of Latch-Bridge Formation In Muscular Saphenous Arteries, Shaojie Han, John E. Speich, Thomas J. Eddinger, Krystina M. Berg, Amy S. Miner, Chris Call, Paul H. Ratz

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Large-diameter elastic arteries can produce strong contractions indefinitely at a high-energy economy by the formation of latch bridges. Whether ownstream blood vessels also use latch bridges remains unknown. The zero-pressure medial thickness and lumen diameter of rabbit saphenous artery (SA), a muscular branch of the elastic femoral artery (FA), were, respectively, approximately twofold and half-fold that of the FA. In isolated FA and SA rings, KCl rapidly (s) caused strong increases in isometric stress (1.2 x 10⁵ N/m²) and intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i; 250 nM). By 10 min, [Ca²⁺]i declined …

Chemical Evidence For Dietary Toxin Sequestration In The Asian Snake Rhabdophis Tigrinus, Deborah A. Hutchinson

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Rhabdophis tigrinus (Colubridae: Natricinae) is an oviparous, bufophagous (toad-eating) snake from eastern Asia that possesses defensive integumentary glands on the neck known as nuchal glands. These glands are used in antipredator displays and typically contain bufadienolide toxins. Whereas toads are known to synthesize bufadienolide steroids from cholesterol precursors, we found that chemically undefended R. tigrinus must sequester bufadienolides from ingested toads in order to exhibit these compounds in their nuchal glands. Chemically defended females are capable of provisioning their embryos with these toxins so their unfed hatchlings possess defensive bufadienolides prior to consuming toads themselves. All of the hatchling R. …

Seeing Clearly: Making Decisions Under Conditions On Scientific Controversy And Incomplete And Uncertain Scientific Information, Ann Clarke

Natural Resources Journal

No abstract provided.

Loma Linda Nurse - Vol. 15, No. 01, Loma Linda University School Of Nursing

Loma Linda Nurse

Contents

2 | A message from the dean

4 | Loma Linda NURSE news

10 | End of an Era: Helen Emori King retires after 24 years

16 | LLUSN development report

19 | Letter from the alumni president

20 | Alumni homecomeing

26 | Alumni feature story

29 | In memory

30 | Centennial book announcement

Restoration Of Quercus Macrocarpa (Bur Oak) Savanna In Iowa's Loess Hills., David A. Mckenzie

Student Work

Prescribed burning and tree-cutting were used alone and in combination to assess means by which to restore the historic Quercus savanna ecosystem that once dominated the western Iowa Loess Hills. Pre- and post-treatment evaluations of woody and herbaceous understory species, overstory canopy cover, and woody plant density were conducted in permanently established treatment plots approximately 1000-2000m2 in size. Of all plant groups, forb canopy cover increased the most, with the greatest increases occurring in pots that were burned with all trees removed (average increase from 8% to 41%), followed by burned plots with all but Quercus macrocarpa (bur oak) removed …

Summer 2006 Aasu Data Digest, Armstrong State University

Armstrong Office of Institutional Research: Armstrong Data Digests (Archived)

No abstract provided.

Sexually Dimorphic Developmental Patterns Of Chemosensory Behaviors In African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana), Dhaval Kartik Vyas

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Like many polygynous mammals, African elephants exhibit social dimorphism in which females reside in matriarchal groups while males often travel alone or in bachelor groups. Males search for receptive mates who may advertise their condition through chemical and other signals. The difference in adult lifestyles suggests that the developmental pattern of communication for the two sexes should diverge when the social environment and reproductive opportunities of males and females begin to differ. In this study, I examined the differences between the sexes and across four age classes (calves, juveniles, subadults and adults) in the performance of chemosensory behaviors. African elephants …

Confronting Sustainability: Forest Certification In Developing And Transitioning Countries, Benjamin Cashore, Fred Gale, Errol Meidinger, Deanna Newsom

Yale School of the Environment Publications Series

No abstract provided.

Sacred Heart University Magazine, Summer 2006, Sacred Heart University

Sacred Heart University Magazine

No abstract provided.

Focus, 2006, Summer, Andrews University

Focus

FOCUS (ISSN 1077-9345) is published quarterly, free of charge, for alumni and friends of Andrews University, an institution owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The Limits Of Service-Learning In Higher Education, Dan W. Butin

Education Faculty Publications

This article takes a critical look at the attempted institutionalization of service-learning in higher education. It asks whether service-learning can become deeply embedded within the academy; and if so, what exactly is becoming embedded. Specifically, this article suggests that there are substantial pedagogical, political, and institutional limits to service-learning across the academy. These limits, moreover, are shown to be inherent to the service-learning movement as contemporarily theorized and enacted. The article concludes by reframing some of the grounding assumptions of service-learning to position it as a disciplinary field more suited for becoming genuinely embedded within higher education.

The National Wildlife Research Center Research Update

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive Species
Aviary Construction at NWRC Sandusky, Ohio, Field Station
Grasses May Help Reduce Wildlife Strike Threats to Aviation
Kirtland’s Warbler Conservation Efforts
Thesis on Wildlife Conservation Sunflower Plots Defended
Dissertation on Coyote Space Use Defended
Chemical Repellents and Barriers
Genetic Markers for Mountain Beaver Studies
Coyote Lure Operative Devices Tracked
NWRC Supports VS Program at Plum Island Animal Disease Center
Wildlife Services Scientists Travel to Asia to Assist with Avian Influenza
Population Studies
Rodent Management
International Meetings and Conferences

Invasive Predators: A Synthesis Of The Past, Present, And Future, William C. Pitt, Gary W. Witmer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive predators have had devastating effects on species around the world and their effects are increasing. Successful invasive predators typically have a high reproductive rate, short generation times, a generalized diet, and are small or secretive. However, the probability of a successful invasion is also dependent on the qualities of the ecosystem invaded. Ecosystems with a limited assemblage of native species are the most susceptible to invasion provided that habitat and climate are favorable. In addition, the number of invasion opportunities for a species increases the likelihood that the species will successfully establish. The list of routes of entry or …

The Land Is In Your Hands : A Practical Guide For Owners Of Small Rural Landholdings In Western Australia, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Wa

Bulletins 4000 -

This Bulletin discusses various aspects of managing a small farm or property in Western Australia, including soil and land care, vegetation and plant control on farm holdings, water resource management, biosecurity, plant, animal and insect pest control and livestock management.

Abroad At Home: Xenomania And Voluntary Exile In The Middle Passage, Salt, And Tide Running, Kevin Frank

Publications and Research

This essay re-examines the causes and consequences of Caribbean alienation, with implications for understanding alienation in other postcolonial societies. The author argues that while externalization does follow colonial incursions or international travel by the colonized, exile and alienation also result from emotional or psychological migrations within the mind, a consequence of neocolonial mechanisms tied to globalization.